Ukrainian initiative
In 2016, one of those who decided to put augmented reality technologies on a military track was the Ukrainian company LimpidArmor Inc. The presentation of the system developed by her, based on the overseas gaming glasses Microsoft HoloLens, took place at the traditional exhibition "Zbroya ta bezpeka 2016". According to the idea of the developers, the most optimal would be the use of such devices inside the tanks to provide operators with a "transparent armor" mode 360 degrees. For this, armored vehicles are equipped with video and thermal imaging cameras from the outside, and are also integrated with on-board systems, including the FCS of the T-64 tank.
This allows you to superimpose the operating parameters of the power plant, sighting and navigation equipment and other important information on the augmented reality image. In total, Ukrainian developers have produced three generations of their systems, the last of which is called the Land Platform Modernization Kit. In this model, among other things, it became possible to connect to reconnaissance drones hovering over the battlefield.
“Someone sees the speed and supply of gasoline, someone - the sighting complex. In other words, we offer a comprehensive solution that is able to visualize almost all processes associated with the management and exchange of information between operators of land transport, as well as reduce losses , - says Mikhail Grechukhin, founder of the startup LimpidArmor Inc.
Despite the fact that Grechukhin is a veteran of the ATO, the technology did not arouse much enthusiasm from the Ministry of Defense. But it was included in the list of the 27 most significant scientific developments that provide a technological breakthrough for Ukraine.
A very interesting thing, by the way - look. The list of Ukrainian innovations includes a new form of carbon and beetle larvae capable of digesting plastic waste. Augmented reality glasses based on the Microsoft HoloLens architecture can be found in the "Wonders of Information Technology" section, as well as in the shortlists of various technology awards, but not in the Ukrainian army. Grechukhin even wanted to sell such a valuable idea in NATO countries, but the Europeans reasonably reasoned that if such a thing was needed, they would completely master its independent production. Moreover, the technology is far from new. The only advantage of the Ukrainian "armored glasses" was the low cost. By this time, the HoloLens developer company was already preparing to present a military version of its development, which forever overshadowed the Ukrainian handicraft.
Points - to every tenth soldier
Now augmented reality is gradually penetrating into all spheres of human existence. For example, now, even on budget cars, you can find indicators of basic information about the state of the car, located in front of the windshield. And in the middle price category, the lack of projection on the glass in front of the driver has already become a rule of bad taste.
Such a technique looks already quite familiar in wheeled, flying and armored vehicles, but in the case of individual use, everything is not so simple. If we discard toys such as Pokemon Go and animated types of 200-ruble and 2000-ruble bills, then providing the user with expanded information about the world around them in real time has become a serious challenge even for global technology corporations. Google was the first to burn on this with the Glass project, which was widely announced and eagerly awaited, but in the end it turned out to be one disappointment.
But for some time, DARPA has been developing a development very similar to Google Glass, called ARC4, which later did not become a production model. In fact, it was a portable helmet-mounted indicator that informed the fighter about the most important things on the battlefield - the position of his units, a map of the area, and also the location of the enemy. For some time, the Americans tested simpler information technology - tablets, smartphones and laptops, but came to the conclusion that all this seriously distracts the fighters from the constantly changing tactical situation. Therefore, as in the case of the ARC4, the information must be displayed directly in the soldier's field of view, so that his hands also remain free.
The very idea of expanding the information field of every American soldier during the battle did not leave the minds of the military. For 5 years now, Microsoft has been developing a military version of its HoloLens gaming glasses. As you can see, Microsoft did not follow the path of Google and did not begin to develop a universal augmented reality device, but initially offered a niche product compatible with the Kinekt gaming equipment. In the future, demand for it increased significantly, especially from industry, the service sector and even surgery. Naturally, a novelty with such potential could not be missed at the Pentagon, and Microsoft started a defense order, simultaneously collecting accusations of supporting American militarism.
HoloLens is a sophisticated device that generates visuals in front of the user in accordance with the spatial position of the head and the set of tasks to be performed. The device is equipped with four cameras (two on each side of the glasses), orienting the device in the surrounding world, and several microphones. HoloLens can recognize speech, multiple gestures, and most importantly, blend a real image with a synthesized one. The current Windows 10 version of HoloLens 2 costs around $ 3,500.
In the military specification, the glasses are based on the second generation of design. "Combat" HoloLens should become the main elements of the IVAS (Integrated Visual Augmentation System), which unites weapon sights, navigation and a host of other information sources in a single field of thermal and infrared vision. At the same time, the glasses are wirelessly connected to the sighting systems of personal small arms, which is an important advantage when shooting from around the corner and other shelters. In this version, "smart" glasses are mated with equipment from the promising American line of personal weapons Next Generation Squad Weapons. In addition, in the field of view of the fighters, glasses can project, for example, the plan of the building in which the unit is located and the location of each fighter.
Few eyewitnesses who had time to try on the novelty claim that now a real battle can be like a gamer shootout in Call of Duty. Among the bonuses, the developers propose to introduce training and exercise modes into the system, as well as connect the user's heart rate sensors to the HoloLens to assess his functional state. For the harsh conditions of military life, by analogy with Ukrainian developments, HoloLens are enclosed in a shock-resistant case and equipped with a battery designed for four to five hours of continuous operation.
The glasses, both in the peaceful and in the military versions, are not associated with any head units (tablets, smartphones and laptops), and this is a serious plus in terms of autonomy. And where is it now without artificial intelligence? In HoloLens 2 IVAS, the smart machine is responsible for target acquisition, tracking and identification. By the way, this is a very useful thing in such a gadget. Among the veterans of the US military operations, there is criticism of such high-tech toys. The reason lies in the difficulty of identifying "friend or foe" in the combined visual field of infrared and thermal radiation. American users can only hope for an AI capable of determining who is the enemy and who is a comrade in battle. Moreover, the US Defense Department plans to purchase about 40 thousand of these fashionable military accessories next year, which will equip every tenth soldier with them.
