Transcript The Evolution of Army Wearable Computers

The Evolution of Army
Wearable Computers
Matthew J. Zieniewicz; Douglas C. Johnson;
Douglas C. Wong; and John D. Flatt
Research, Development, and Engineering Center, US
Army Communications Electronic Command
Gene-Ming Shih, 04/23/2003
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Outline
• Early beginnings : The Soldier's
Computer
• SIPE project
• Functionality and requirements
• The next phase
• Key design factors
• The JCF AWE(0.6 -> 1.0)
• Major subsystems and components
• Conclusion
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Early beginnings : The Soldier's Computer
• James Schoening, Matt Zieniewicz 1989,
John Flatt, Sal Barone, and Almon Gillette,
1990
• Schoening：small wearable computer,
integrated with a wireless link and helmetmounted display (HMD)
• Matt Zieniewicz：wireless data
transmission, image capture, integrated
Global Positioning System (GPS)
receivers, and menudriven software
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Army Material Command's first trade show
• Agilis bricktype 386-based computer
• software：creating reports, displaying
battlefield situation maps
• ruggedized helmet-mounted quasi-VGA
display
• virtual 14-inch monochromatic display
• used a trackball for input
• could enter and transmit simple reports to
other units
• Natick Soldier Center：
SIPE Advanced-Technology Demonstration
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SIPE project
• spring of 1990, led by Carol Fitzgerald
• new digitized battlefield concept
• portable, wearable battery-powered
computer
• computer needed to include：
image capture, an integrated radio,
and a portable display unit
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Functionality and requirements
• bring computing devices to the
individual soldier
• none of the functions were
commercially available
• challenge：integrate these
piecemeal components into a
lightweight package
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• The new system aimed to digitize basic
battlefield operations to help soldiers
– Read maps, navigate, and maintain
situation awareness
– Receive, prepare, and send written field
reports
– Capture and transmit color still images for
reconnaissance purposes
– Access battlefield operations reference
material
• Software application：Developed in C
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System architecture
• key hardware components：
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computer processor with memory
a GPS receiver
a data radio
a video capture system
a digital compass
a miniature color camera
a video controller subsystem
an HMD
a power supply subsystem
wiring harnesses
and packaging
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Networking configuration
• FM packet radio－an increased
range
• fixed-gateway base station
• Packet mode：compensated
• data transmission：computer ➝
gateway ➝ server ➝ gateway ➝
appropriate computer
• multihop lag
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Feedback from soldiers
• “digitizing" the individual soldier
• bore-sighted Thermal Weapon Sight
(TWS)
• operate longer on a set of batteries
• computer-radio-GPS：18 pounds
HMD into helmet：nearly 8 pounds
CRT display：15 pounds
• Drawback：delay in capturing and
sending a still video image
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The next phase
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Twenty-First Century Land Warrior project
Task Force XXI, mid 1990
development of Land Warrior, 1993
C4ISR
Land Warrior had to be：
lighter, smaller, lowerpowered, more rugged, easy to
use, weigh almost nothing, work all day, and be
comfortably placed and conveniently located
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Developing system requirements
• Operational Requirements Document（ORD）
• Drawback：The year-long process involved
numerous meetings with both users and
technical experts, who reviewed, in detail, the
requirements' feasibility and applicability.
• Next phase：material development
• PM developed a performance-based system
specification, stating what the system should
do but not how it should do it
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Key design factors
• technical architecture：open,
modular, and flexible
• could operate in their environment,
including under water, and at
extreme temperatures
• system had to：minimize audible,
radio frequency, infrared, and
visible emissions
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The JCF AWE
• 82nd Airborne Division against
conventionally equipped opposing
force
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The JCF AWE (cont.)
• Soldiers equipped with the Land Warrior，
Version 0.6 participated in three missions
1.To parachute onto and secure an airfield at night. After
reattaching their HMDs and headsets and turning on the
system, the soldiers could see their own location, where
they were headed, and the location of their fellow troops
overlaid on the assembly area map. Wireless voice and
message communication, previously not available to all
soldiers, proved beneficial, and everyone reached the
assembly area in record time.
2.An assault on a village with several buildings (to simulate
urban terrain) and enemy soldiers. The Land Warrior
system automatically transmitted position reports for eight
leaders in the platoon to higher-echelon software systems.
3.A night ambush.
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The JCF AWE (cont.)
• PM Soldier learned numerous lessons：
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different power sources,
fewer cables with less exposure,
improved reliability and ruggedness,
reduction in electromagnetic interference
• Land Warrior, Version 1.0（Land
Warrior Initial Capability）
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Design rationale
• leveraging commercial components
• battery problems：USB SMBus
（System Management Bus）
• color SVGA display：six to nine inches
diagonal ➝ touchscreen display
• Mission Data Support Equipment
– laptop computer and
– USB-to-Ethernet adapters
• software：Mission Data package
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Major subsystems and
components
• computer subsystem
• helmet subsystem
• control and communications
subsystem
• weapons subsystem
• navigation system
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computer subsystem
• runs Windows
• weighs：1.79 pounds
• consists of the computer assembly：flash
memory, and video board
• Box：single external connector for power,
USB, and IEEE 1394
FireWire connections
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helmet subsystem
• consists of the HMD, hearing devices, and
microphone devices
• HMD：an 800×600-pixel full-color display
using an organic light-emitting
diode display
• view his or her location, other
friendly locations, and his or her
direction of travel (heading).
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control and communications
subsystem
• control unit：lets soldiers manipulate system
configurations and generate and send tactical
messages
• communications subsystem：transmits voice and data
so that soldiers can communicate in their squad
• mesh：forwards packets to soldiers in multiple hops
enhances the system's range
• AN/PRC-148 multiband inter/intra
team radio
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weapons subsystem (WSS)
• mounted Daylight Video Sight and TWS for
sighting
• soldier can mount currently issued aiming
lights, an infrared pointer, or a multifunctional
laser
• laser range finder and digital compass
• A peg grip on the weapon's stock：let soldiers
make calls, transition between sighting
systems, capture images, and locate targets
without removing a hand from the weapon.
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navigation system
• GPS receiver
• magnetic compass heading sensor
• dead reckoning module
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• full Land Warrior system includes
– electronics, other items that
constitute the soldier's combat load,
including clothing, armor, weapons,
and ammunition
• For more information：
https://www.pmsoldiersystems.Army.mil/public/default.asp
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A timeline of Army wearable
computer systems
• around the soldier's equipment ➝
with the soldier's equipment ➝
within the soldier's equipment
• all-in-one wearable system ➝ allfor-one system that a soldier
wears to fight (embedded in an
integrated combat uniform)
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exploring advances
• wearable computing devices／the use
of handheld devices
• can run on small portable-computing
platforms
• augmented reality (AR)
• location-aware handheld computing：
long-range communications
• hands free
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