Sensors ASSIST soldiers

News

US defence researchers are testing whether a variety of sensors worn by soldiers could provide additional information on a mission to help plan future operations.

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is exploring the use of soldier-worn sensors and recorders to augment a soldier's recall and reporting capability.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is acting as an independent evaluator for the "Advanced Soldier Sensor Information System and Technology" (ASSIST) project. NIST researchers are designing tests to measure the technical capability of such information gathering devices.

NIST is testing five different sensor systems at the United States Army Aberdeen Test Center in Maryland. The tests involve sensor-clad soldiers on unscripted foot patrol through simulated Iraqi villages populated with "bystanders," "shopkeepers," and "insurgents." The sensors are expected to capture, classify and store such data as the sound of acceleration and deceleration of vehicles, images of people (including suspicious movements that might not be seen by the soldiers), speech and specific types of weapon fire.

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