Fighting talk

Next-generation communications technology to transform the standard military radio into a multi-faceted device is being developed to provide tomorrow's combat troops with a far greater chance of survival.

Researchers at the US Department of Energy's (DoE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Cognitive Radio Programme are integrating sensors and computational intelligence capabilities to turn software-defined radios (SDRs) into far more powerful devices able to avoid jamming, provide location via GPS and warn of chemical attacks.

The programme will look to embed sensors, cameras and microphones, giving the soldier total awareness of his surroundings, including chemical, biological or radiological hazards.

Programme director Mark Buckner and his team have developed reconfigurable digital and analogue radio frequency circuits, which could periodically and automatically change the bandwidth and other parameters that make the signal difficult, or impossible, to jam.

The team also designed software that reprogrammes the radio's circuits, enabling the device to switch between different functions. This means the radio could act as a GPS device, satellite phone or secure first-responder radio. And if the enemy attempted to jam the system, a new set of parameters to switch radios to different modes could be sent out quickly.