Body-wearable antennas could lighten a soldier's load
BAE Systems has developed a series of body wearable antennas that have been designed to reduce the load that soldiers have to carry while providing them with a high level of battlefield information and connectivity.
According to the defence company, the body-wearable antenna (BWA) allows soldiers to communicate with colleagues on the front line without the need for conventional radio whip-antennas, which can be cumbersome and conspicuous.
By weaving the antennas into the fibres of the uniform the technology allows effective communication while helping improve agility.
A concept demonstrator has been developed to showcase the capability of this technology, which transmits voice, video data (from a helmet-mounted camera) and GPS location via the same antenna.
According to BAE Systems, a system using this technology could improve the situational awareness of a military team as a whole: if one soldier spots a situation, they can alert the team and share what they can see through their helmet-mounted camera.
The demonstration system links with a wrist-mounted commercially available touch-screen smart phone and utilises its sensors to provide an augmented operational picture, allowing the team to tag objects, such as potential hazards, which will appear highlighted on a phone’s video image.
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