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Digital interface: A sensor-laden military glove will be used as an input device for soldiers’ wearable computer systems. The glove has four push-button sensors sewn into its pinky finger, fourth finger, middle finger and index finger, as well as a fifth sensor also on the middle finger that can act like a computer mouse. Embedded in the backhand area are three accelerometers. The sensors are used to activate radio communications, view and navigate electronic maps, and send commands. The glove is connected to the computer by a USB cord.
Brittany Sauser
A new glove lets soldiers operate wearable computers while still holding their weapons.
Some U.S. soldiers in Iraq are already equipped with wearable computer systems. But the lack of efficient input devices restricts their use to safer environments, such as the interior of a Humvee or a base station, where the soldier can set down his weapon and use the keyboard or mouse tethered to his body. Now RallyPoint, a startup based in Cambridge, MA, has developed a sensor-embedded glove that allows the soldier to easily view and navigate digital maps, activate radio communications, and send commands without having to take his hand off his weapon.
For soldiers carrying a plethora of equipment, finding and using electronic controls on their bodies can be awkward, says Forrest Liau, the president and cofounder of RallyPoint. "We wanted to make a device that would have all the necessary components in a combat-ready way," he says. The Natick Soldier Systems Center in Natick, MA, has a contract with RallyPoint and is currently testing a prototype of the glove, called a Handwear Computer Input Device (HCID), for use with its electronic systems.
A sensor-laden glove for wearable computing is not an entirely new concept. Researchers at MIT, the University of Toronto, and the Georgia Institute of Technology have been working on systems that focus on detecting hand and arm movements by using accelerometers, gyroscopes, and other high-tech sensors. But Gerd Kortuem, an assistant professor of computing at Lancaster University, in England, says that most of these prototypes "don't work reliably and are not robust enough." Microsoft and Sony have also worked on gesture recognition and wearable-mouse technologies, but their research has yet to yield usable devices.
RallyPoint has a "very clever design and has actually created something practical by focusing on a particular domain--the military," says Kortuem.
A typical wearable computer system consists of a helmet-mounted display and hardware the soldier wears around his waist. RallyPoint's engineers have designed their glove so that soldiers can grip other objects, such as their weapons or a steering wheel, and still be able to use their electronic systems. The glove has four custom-built push-button sensors sewn into the fingers. Sensors on the tips of the middle and fourth fingers activate radio communications, a different channel for each finger. Another sensor on the lower portion of the index finger changes modes, from "map mode" to "mouse mode." In map mode, the fourth sensor, located on the pinky finger, is used to zoom in on and out of the map; in mouse mode, it serves as a mouse-click button.
Also sewn into the pad of the middle fingertip of the glove is an "anywhere mouse" that uses force sensors and acts as a track pad. "When a soldier presses down against the side of his weapon, a wall, or any hard surface and rolls his finger around, he can manipulate things on the screen," says Liau.
The battle field is going to be the quietest place in world ?
The voice recognition is spotty in quite office environment.
Other small thing is security, when you are talking to a computer you are going to tell the enemy to close there ears ? It will easily know where you go just by listening to you.
Prediction where you are going to strike even by 2-5 seconds will mean difference between life and death.
So dude !....
heh, i agree on that, maybe that subvocaliser tech that we all saw the video of a little while ago, but untill that stuff is at least as good as voice recognition it'll be difficult.
Something I'm concerned about with the glove is how durable it'll be. Will it be usable as an all purpose rugged glove, and continue to function as a control mechanism? or would it be put on and taken off as needed?
RallyPoint has partnered with the U.S. Army's glove manufacturer to ensure that the technology is implemented in gloves that are specifically designed for a soldier's needs.
still... a glove is a glove. do any of you ever use gloves? put on a pair for two hours and then tell me what a great idea it is! =;) and gloves in an environment with 110-degree-plus heat? was common sense consulted before this project embarked?
what this is moving toward is the sensors without the glove, wirelessly. they can be transparent, waterproof super-adhesive or somehow fingertip attachable, and thin enough to still pick your nose! we'll see this soon with video games © where you put the buttons on your fingers instead of your fingers on the buttons: ergonomic, customizable, and a heck of a savings on plastic.
I spent 11 years in the infantry, and we ALWAYS wear golves, regardless of the heat. You ever feel a weapon after it lays down 200 rounds in 3 minutes? Hotter than hell. Go look up 82nd + Iraq on goole images and see for yourself.
it goes without saying that voice would not be smart for tactical, close-quarters stealth operations. but at least 70% of combat is not stealth; soldiers routinely scream to and at each other. and you think Ahmad is going to translate on the spot? or as another example, nobody hears you whisper behind the scope of a sniper rifle a mile away...
Another benefit of not using voice commands is that you can scroll or zoom wile talking to other members of your squad. It is for the battlefield not an office; it will never have your undivided attention.
Hi,
Given that the video on the website for these guys was done in 2006 and the email address quoted on the website bounces I wonder how current and indeed active this technology is.
Does anyone have a clue as to how to get hold of these guys to talk to them concerning current status ?
Hi, I have contact information for the developers of the glove. If you send me an email, brittany.sauser@technologyreview.com, I can pass your email on to them. Thanks!
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judbarovski
11 Comments
why smart glove, a voice onput is much better
why smart glove, a voice input is much better
Reply
johnalphonse
78 Comments
Re: why smart glove, a voice onput is much better
i agree. gloves are just the thing you want to wear when you seek increased dexterity and mobility, right? lol
Reply
Jorgecab
1 Comment
Re: why smart glove, a voice onput is much better
Voice could kill you. Battle field is very complicated, silence is better, a simpler move is better than noisy voice commands
Reply
Monsterboy
92 Comments
Re: why smart glove, a voice onput is much better
Well, since they're designing it specifically for use in combat, I'd imagine they're concerned about noise interference, like, from guns and explosives and such.
Reply