For many, the image of Buffalo Bill stalking Clarice Starling through his dimly lit basement using night vision goggles in “The Silence of the Lambs” was the first exposure to wearable tech designed to give users an advantage in the dark. It has been 33 years since that award-winning film hit the silver screen, and such hardware is now commonplace in military units worldwide.
At this year’s Association of the United States Army (AUSA) gathering, Straight Arrow News had the opportunity to see what could be the next game-changer in wearable tech for American warfighters.
The Honeywell 360 Display resembles high-tech arcade game equipment and could become a modern warrior’s best friend in low-light environments. It also eliminates the problems of previous designs.
“The Honeywell 360 is designed to operate a vehicle at a high rate of speed without any outside visual reference, meaning no windows, and do that without making you sick,” said Adam Gavrich, senior technical sales manager at Honeywell. “Our system is one of the only systems that can do that for an extended period without making you ill.”
The system’s technology focuses on low latency and depth perception to simulate natural vision. Gavrich explained that the 360 Display is vehicle, camera and sensor agnostic, meaning it can integrate with existing cameras and mountings for standard night vision goggles.
“The idea is to take a vehicle that might already have cameras and integrate with those existing cameras,” Gavrich said. “If you have a requirement for very high-end cameras, very high resolution, we can integrate with that. If you have lower resolution cameras, we can do that as well and still safely operate the vehicle using our headset technology.”
The system has 26 U.S. patents for its anti-motion sickness technology. Currently in production, it is being fine-tuned for military operations.
“Simulating your natural vision and making your body feel as if it is looking with its own two eyes when it actually has no reference is crucial,” Gavrich said. “We have to accurately find the position of your head, accounting for both unnatural motion from the vehicle and where you are intentionally moving your head. When those two things agree, you do not get sick.”
Unlike most showcased at AUSA, the SAN team was able to climb into a vehicle and try the 360 Display.
The team said it felt like an F-35 glass cockpit. If a pilot were to look back, they would be able to see what is directly behind the vehicle. In a combat scenario, that could be militants or innocents the pilot doesn’t want to run over.
Another important aspect is the effort to avoid adding neck strain to the wearer.
“We are taking weight out of our prototype, and it is going to be very light,” Gavrich said. “When you put on the headset today, it feels heavy because it is a military helmet. The end target system will be very light and rugged to support military operations. We cannot have a heavy headset that adds a lot of neck strain, and that is a design consideration we have accommodated for.”
While Honeywell has not yet disclosed which American troops will first use the 360 Display, Gavrich mentioned that the company recently won several unannounced contracts. When those deals are announced, SAN will provide more updates.
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