The Military Is Rolling Out A Combat Equivalent Of Google Glass
Q-Warrior, the latest installment in BAE System's Q-Sight line, is a helmet-mounted display covering one eye.
The technology promises to give soldiers increased situational awareness on the battlefield, as well as easy access to important intelligence.
Allen McDuffee, of Wired, writes:
With a high-resolution transparent display, Q-Warrior overlays data and a video stream over the soldier's view of the world. Q-Warrior also includes enhanced night vision, waypoints and routing information, and the ability to identify hostile and non-hostile forces, track personnel and assets, and coordinate small unit actions.
Hypothetically, the Q-Warrior should eliminate friendly fire and civilian casualties since it will help soldiers better coordinate in hectic scenarios.
The technology will first be given to nontraditional military units, likely in reconnaissance or counterterrorism roles. If the technology works well in the field, Q-Warrior's scope could then be broadened to more lightly armored soldiers such as airborne forces or Marines.
"The biggest demand, in the short term at least, will be in roles where the early adoption of situational awareness technology offers a defined advantage," Paul Wright, the Soldier Systems' Business Development Lead at BAE Systems' Electronic Systems, said in a press release.
In the long term, the Q-Warrior project could even merge with the Military's TALOS "Iron Man" project, which is entering the prototype phase. TALOS aims to provide soldiers with a small-arms fire-resistant suit along with enhanced situational awareness.