The notion of solider modernisation is not limited to the development of new weapon systems or body armour, but also encompasses wearable technology to monitor operators. Tim Fish reports.

士兵现代化的概念不仅局限于对新的武器系统或防弹衣的发展，还包括可穿戴技术来监控操作人员。蒂姆·菲什报道。

 

The US military is exploring ways in which to utilise wearable devices to improve monitoring of personnel on operations. Credit: US Department of Defense.

美国军方正在探索如何利用可穿戴设备来改善对作战人员的监控。资料来源：美国国防部。

 

Technological advances in the commercial sector mean that small light wearable devices can be adapted for military use and play an important role in monitoring individual service personnel performance and capability. 

商业部门的技术进步意味着小型轻型可穿戴设备可以用于军事用途，并在监测个人服务人员的表现和能力方面发挥重要作用。

 

Commercially available rings and watches are used by civilians doing regular exercise to track distances run or the health of the body during physical exertion and these can similarly be used to check a soldier’s activity on operations or in training.  

商业上可买到的手环和手表被定期锻炼的平民用来追踪跑步距离或体力消耗期间的身体健康状况，这些手环和手表同样可以用来检查士兵在作战或训练中的活动。

 

It means that military leaders can have the ability to conduct performance tracking like most sports teams. The US Army is looking at harnessing these technologies to allow it to improve the training and readiness of its soldiers and give its forces the edge when they engage in operations.  

这意味着军队领导人可以像大多数运动队一样，有能力进行绩效跟踪。美国陆军正在考虑利用这些技术来提高士兵的训练和战备状态，并在部队参与作战时发挥优势。

 

US Army Development Command (DEVCOM) in partnership with the US Army Medical Research and Development Command (MRDC) is running two science and technology (S&T) projects to assess the viability of using wearable devices to gather data about troops wellbeing and also to provide information about the best way in which to adapt training programmes to improve soldier health and fitness. This leads to better decision-making and performance on the battlefield. 

美国陆军发展司令部 (DEVCOM)与美国陆军医学研究与发展司令部 (MRDC)合作，正在开展两个科学技术项目，以评估使用可穿戴设备收集部队健康数据的可行性，并提供有关调整训练计划以改善士兵健康和体能的最佳方式的信息。这将带来更好的决策和战场表现。

 

If we can find those five or 10 things that – if we spend time on – we can affect 20 different tasks that account for what soldiers are supposed to do to perform their jobs that's something worthwhile if we can help focus their time

如果我们能找到这5到10件事——如果我们花时间去做——我们就可以影响20个不同的任务，说明士兵应该做什么来完成他们的工作，如果我们能帮助他们集中时间，这是有价值的

 

Joseph Patterson, OHWS programme manager

约瑟夫·帕特森，OHWS项目经理

 

DEVCOM’s Optimising the Human Weapon System (OHWS) project was initiated in Q4 2020 initially as a way of detecting COVID-19 in soldiers but has expanded from an early feasibility study using 1,700 troops in a battalion to improve the health data of troops in garrison training and off-duty into a scalability study that will eventually gather data from a brigade-size formation in excess of 4,000 soldiers. 

美国陆军发展司令部 (DEVCOM)的优化人类武器系统（OHWS）项目于2020年第4季度启动，最初是作为检测士兵中新冠肺炎的一种方法，但已从早期的可行性研究扩展到可扩展性研究，该研究在一个营中使用1700名士兵，以改善驻军训练和休息时部队的健康数据，最终将从旅级编队超过4000名士兵中收集数据。

 

Joseph Patterson, soldier performance strategist and programme manager for OHWS told Global Defence Technology that the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division has conducted up to 1,000 days of data collection using the Oura Ring and Polar GRIT X Pro watch. Patterson said the Oura Ring “specifically looks at some really good quality, sleep metrics, like sleep efficiency, and duration” whilst Polar GRIT X Pro “is really good at cardiovascular analysis in training, load, and volume of training”.  

OHWS的士兵性能策略师兼项目经理约瑟夫·帕特森告诉《全球防务技术》，美国陆军第10山地师已经使用Oura Ring和Polar GRIT X Pro手表进行了长达1000天的数据收集。帕特森表示，Oura Ring“专门关注一些非常好的质量、睡眠指标，如睡眠效率和持续时间”，而Polar GRIT X Pro“非常擅长训练、负荷和训练量中的心血管分析”。

 

This data is then used to help guide professionals on how they develop training plans. “It can actually be used to help tailor high density days versus low density days,” Patterson added.  

然后，这些数据被用来帮助指导专业人员如何制定培训计划。帕特森补充道：“它实际上可以用来帮助调整高密度日与低密度日。”。

 

OHWS is funded to run until the end of 2024 and aims to provide the US Army with a concept of operations about how the system could be employed more widely to improve the warfighting capabilities of individuals.  

OHWS的资金将持续到2024年底，旨在向美国陆军提供一个作战概念，即如何更广泛地使用该系统来提高个人的作战能力。

 

Targeting human performance 

以人为目标

 

The other S&T effort, which fed into OHWS is the five-year Measuring and Advancing Soldier Tactical Readiness and Effectiveness (MASTR-E) programme that started in October 2020. It has been looking in detail at the performance metrics for specific types of tasks and operations.  

OHWS的另一项科技工作是始于2020年10月的五年期“衡量和提高士兵战术准备和效能”（MASTR-E）计划。它一直在详细研究特定类型的任务和操作的性能指标。

 

The wearable devices used in this effort include Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) from company APDM to detect acceleration, shot detection and orientation; Polar GRIT wrist watches to monitor heart rate, provide GPS and an activity tracker; Polar Team Pro chest straps as a back-up heart detector and GPS system; TASCAM audio recorders for communication and shot detection; and MILES Vest and Halo chest and helmet devices for engagement data and shot detection. 

这项工作中使用的可穿戴设备包括APDM公司的惯性测量单元（IMU），用于检测加速度、射击探测和定位；Polar GRIT腕表可监测心率，提供GPS和活动跟踪器；Polar Team Pro胸带作为备用心脏探测器和GPS系统；用于通信和射击探测的TASCAM录音记录仪；以及用于交战数据和射击检测的MILES背心和Halo胸部和头盔设备。

 

For SOF end-users it is much easier as they can simply buy and use equipment as they see fit for their missions, and they don’t need to have written requirements

对于SOF最终用户来说，这要容易得多，因为他们可以简单地购买和使用他们认为适合其任务的设备，而且他们不需要有书面要求

 

Alex Gruentzig, CEO of Legionarious

亚历克斯·格伦齐格，Legionarious公司的首席执行官

 

George Matook, MASTR-E S&T programme manager told Global Defence Technology that the project was charged to “determine the human performance X factors about humans, that we need to care about in the army, to have better performance to help soldiers perform their individual and collective tasks better, because that's going to make them more lethal, more ready and more survivable.”

MASTR-E科技项目经理乔治•马图克告诉《全球防务技术》，该项目旨在“确定人类的表现X因素，这是我们在军队中需要关心的，以获得更好的表现，帮助士兵更好地执行个人和集体任务，因为这将使他们更具杀伤力、更具准备性和生存能力。”

 

These include five main constructs: shoot, move, sustain, navigate and communication and measure the human requirements to best undertake those. “What's going to be really interesting as we continue down this path of analysis, is what are those common X factors between them. If we can find those five or 10 things that – if we spend time on – we can affect 20 different tasks that account for what soldiers are supposed to do to perform their jobs that's something worthwhile if we can help focus their time,” Patterson said.

其中包括五个主要结构：射击、移动、维持、导航和沟通，并衡量人类的需求以最佳地实现这些需求。帕特森说：“当我们继续沿着这条分析道路前进时，真正有趣的是，它们之间的共同X因素是什么。如果我们能找到这五到十件事，如果我们花时间，我们可以影响20项不同的任务，这些任务解释了士兵应该做什么来完成他们的工作，如果我们能帮助他们集中时间，这是有价值的。”。

 

With another year-and-a-half to go on MASTR-E the plan is to meet the S&T goals collecting an advanced body of knowledge on the topic and find out the best way of employing the technology. The hope is that this can be delivered to the US Army’s procurement organisation to then deliver a system to soldiers.

MASTR-E还有一年半的时间，计划是实现科技目标，收集有关该主题的先进知识，并找出使用该技术的最佳方式。希望这可以交付给美国陆军的采购组织，然后向士兵提供一个系统。

 

Individuals are already buying these products on the commercial market. Therefore, an issue for both OHWS and MASTR-E is the way in which they might be able to integrate data from existing personal wearable devices used by soldiers alongside those bought by and distributed by the US Army.

个人已经在商业市场上购买这些产品。因此，OHWS和MASTR-E面临的一个问题是，他们如何能够将士兵使用的现有个人可穿戴设备的数据与美国陆军购买和分发的设备集成在一起。

 

Smart garments

智能服装

 

Other wearable technologies are being investigated that can have a more immediate impact on operations by providing medical data on injuries sustained by soldiers. Boston-based start-up company Legionarius has secured over $1m in funding from the US Government to develop a new Smart Garment system.  

正在研究其他可穿戴技术，这些技术可以通过提供士兵受伤的医疗数据，对作战产生更直接的影响。总部位于波士顿的初创公司Legionarius公司已从美国政府获得超过100万美元的资金，用于开发新的智能服装系统。

 

The garment is made of a thin conductive material located between two outer clothing layers in shirts and trousers. It is fitted with onboard PCB electronic that can monitor a soldier’s vital signs (heart rate, breathing, etc.) and check for holes such as with the penetration of bullets or stabbing weapons that could cause haemorrhaging.  

该服装由薄导电材料制成，位于衬衫和裤子的两个外层服装之间。它配备了机载PCB电子设备，可以监测士兵的生命体征（心率、呼吸等），并检查是否有可能导致出血的孔洞，如子弹或刺伤武器的穿透。

 

This data and the location of the soldier can be transmitted via the US Army’s Android Tactical Awareness Kit (ATAK) to medical personnel and farther back to HQ and military hospitals to allow a faster response to a combat casualty and quicker progress through the treatment stages. 

这些数据和士兵的位置可以通过美国陆军的安卓战术感知套件（ATAK）传输给医务人员，再传输回总部和军事医院，以便对战斗伤亡做出更快的反应，并在治疗阶段取得更快的进展。

 

CEO of Legionarious, Alex Gruentzig, said that during combat care information about a casualty is fed into the system from the point of treatment when a medic completes their first assessment. He explained that what the Smart Garment provides is the medical data about a casualty much earlier from the point of injury giving first responders and doctors more information sooner improving treatment and the ability to better to triage numerous patients, “Currently there are no written requirements from [the US Department of Defense] for this kind of garments; that’s why I got invited to demonstrate my technology recently to a DoD requirements office,” Guentzig said. “They are going to write requirements for those kinds of wearable technologies.” 

Legionarious公司的首席执行官亚历克斯·格伦齐格说，在战斗护理过程中，当医生完成第一次评估时，关于伤员的信息会从治疗点开始输入系统。他解释说，智能服装提供的是关于伤员在受伤时更早的医疗数据，给急救人员和医生更多的信息，更快地改善治疗，并能够更好地对众多病人进行分诊，格伦齐格说：“目前（美国国防部）对这种服装没有书面要求；这就是为什么我最近被邀请到国防部需求办公室展示我的技术”，“他们将为这些可穿戴技术编写要求。”

 

More than 530 soldiers from 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division donned wearable sensory technology to participate in a yearlong human performance MASTR-E study. Credit: US DoD

来自第10山地师第2旅战斗队第31步兵团第4营的530多名士兵穿戴可穿戴传感技术，参与了一项为期一年的人体性能MASTR-E研究。来源：美国国防部

 

Gruentzig explained that that Legionarious has been working with the US Navy SEALs, Special Operations Command (SOCOM) community and SOFWerx to secure advance funding for the development of prototype garments. “For SOF end-users it is much easier as they can simply buy and use equipment as they see fit for their missions, and they don’t need to have written requirements.  

格伦齐格解释说，Legionarious公司一直在与美国海豹突击队、特种作战司令部（SOCOM）团体和SOFWerx创新中心合作，为原型服装的开发获得预付资金。“对于SOF终端用户来说，这要容易得多，因为他们可以简单地购买和使用他们认为适合自己任务的设备，而且他们不需要有书面要求。

 

“When I started working with SOCOM, the end-users basically told me what they want or not want the system to do. So, these were my requirements to work on throughout the development phase, including extremely low power consumption and weight.” 

“当我开始与SOCOM合作时，最终用户基本上告诉我他们希望或不希望系统做什么。因此，这些都是我在整个开发阶段要做的要求，包括极低的功耗和重量。”

 

The Smart Garment is currently at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Six, which means that it needs to complete operational deployments to advance further to TRL Seven and beyond. Gruentzig said that he is working on a phase two statement of work package to put the Smart Garment on to end users for patrols, combat casualty care training and close quarter battles. 

智能服装目前处于技术准备水平（TRL）六级，这意味着它需要完成运营部署，才能进一步提升到TRL七级及以上。格伦齐格表示，他正在制定第二阶段的工作方案，将智能服装提供给最终用户，用于巡逻、战斗伤亡护理培训和近距离战斗。

 

He added that the key was to make the Smart Garment interoperable with the existing ATAK software to enable to proper transfer and display of the information across the communications networks and on devices. 

他补充说，关键是要让智能服装能够与现有的ATAK软件进行交互操作，以便能够在通信网络和设备上正确地传输和显示信息。

 

As the era of great power competition between peer rivals heats up militaries are seeking ways to get the edge on the battlefield. Technological innovation is providing options for wearable devices that can provide new monitoring capabilities for soldiers.  

随着同类竞争对手之间的大国竞争的时代升温，军队正在寻找在战场上获得优势的方法。技术创新为可穿戴设备提供了选择，可以为士兵提供新的监控能力。

 

New devices are able to provide information that can support advanced soldier training and conditioning as well as faster and more efficient injury detection and recovery that are beginning to show what the market can offer in this domain. 

新的设备能够提供信息，可以支持先进的士兵训练和整修，以及更快、更有效的伤害检测和恢复，这已经开始显示出市场可以在这个领域中提供什么。