APTIMA INC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: AF183-006

Description

Some skills can be trained in simulated or virtual environments, trainees need hands-on experiences by participating in authentic, live exercises that replicate operational environments. Live training exercises can involve obstacles (e.g., buildings, vehicles), challenging terrain (e.g., hills, rocks, trees), and environmental conditions (e.g., darkness, heat, smoke), creating a variety of safety hazards for trainees. The instructor’s primary responsibility is to ensure skill acquisition, but another important responsibility is to ensure trainee safety. Monitoring trainee location and status in training environments can be difficult due to obstructed lines of sight and trainee gear (e.g., helmets, breathing apparatus), thus limiting the ability of the instructor to observe trainee status. Fortunately, recent technological advances in worn tracking technology, physiological sensing, and augmented reality (AR) can allow instructors to see the real-time location and health status of their trainees in an intuitive AR platform. Aptima will develop SCOPE (Safe, Controlled Observation of Personnel during Exercises), an AR-based application for mobile heads up displays with geo-location and health status of trainees. SCOPE extends technology developed for confined space monitoring by displaying personnel location and health status on a mobile AR device, allowing instructors to monitor trainees during live training exercises.