Defense industry turns to AR for training, manufacturing, and more - Military Embedded Systems

Story

October 18, 2022

The military-electronics manufacture expects that increasing computing powerfulness and information processing capabilities volition proceed to substance the maturation of augmented world (AR) successful defense. Industry insiders accidental that contempt the information that contractors person already recovered a wide scope of uses for AR, they whitethorn person lone scratched the aboveground of what this exertion tin do.

AR for training

Augmented grooming has seen wide implementation successful the satellite of grooming acknowledgment to its versatility and cost-saving potential.

Mike Blackford, manager of concern improvement for simulation solutions and services for Raytheon subsidiary Collins Aerospace (Charlotte, North Carolina), says that the institution is presently moving connected AR technologies successful the areas of attraction grooming and small-footprint mobile task trainers to enactment the full-flight and ngo simulators utilized by the U.S. Air Force. AR augmentations to the trainers see heads-up displays (HUD) and avionics familiarization trainers, helium says. (Figure 1.)

[Figure 1 | An illustration of a Collins Aerospace VR-based Mission Trainer housed successful the backmost extremity of an aircraft. Photo courtesy Collins Aerospace.]

The benefits of AR exertion for these purposes see a smaller footprint and a little cost, which results successful easier entree for point-of-need grooming and much entree for much students, Blackford states.

“For example, hard events wrong the full-flight and higher-end ngo trainers tin beryllium rehearsed anterior to the pupil entering the higher fidelity trainers, thereby expanding the throughput successful those devices,” Blackford notes. “We spot a simplification successful numbers of instructors per pupil throughput owed to the quality of the students to larn connected their own.”

Some different benefits see round-the-clock entree to grooming contented for those who privation to bid connected idiosyncratic time. Moreover, if the grooming level is connected to a learning absorption system, the grooming tin beryllium measured easily. Finally, AR-enabled trainers marque it easier to usage lower-cost commercialized off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment, a determination that accelerates the adoption complaint of this technology, Blackford says.

The question of whether to usage virtual world (VR) oregon AR comes down to the benignant of grooming event: If the lawsuit requires a realistic touch, feel, and feedback, officials are much apt to spell with an AR solution. But if the lawsuit is much astir familiarization, VR is the preferred solution.

In the coming years, Blackford says that helium expects AR exertion to proceed to mature to the constituent that astir VR-based applications volition germinate into the AR space.

“As cardinal audiences go much comfy with the technology, we judge it volition beryllium leveraged for further grooming events,” helium says. “You volition ever person groups who judge this benignant of grooming isn’t bully enough, but arsenic higher-fidelity full-flight trainers beryllium to instructors and students that they tin larn done this technology, acceptance volition summation and it volition beryllium utilized for much grooming tasks.

“The monolithic concern being made successful the commercialized manufacture toward this exertion has already accelerated its adoption complaint and we don’t spot that slowing down anytime soon,” helium adds.

Collins Aerospace is conscionable 1 defence contractor utilizing AR for training: In September 2022, AR developer Red 6 announced it was collaborating with Boeing connected a task that involves “develop[ing] starring borderline aerial dogfighting exertion and grooming successful precocious tactical aircraft,” according to a institution statement. This task would impact putting Red 6’s Advanced Tactical Augmented Reality System (ATARS) and Augmented Reality Command and Analytics Data Environment (ARCADE) into Boeing-manufactured aircraft, similar the T-7 and F-15EX platforms.

“Using the system, pilots volition beryllium capable to spot and interact with augmented world aircraft, targets, and threats connected the crushed oregon successful the aerial portion flying and grooming successful their existent aircraft, reducing the outgo of and request for aggregate platforms and ‘real satellite grooming exercises,’” the connection reads.

AR for manufacturing

AR isn’t conscionable being utilized successful grooming applications – companies spot committedness with manufacturing arsenic well, peculiarly successful conjunction with VR. Mike Ambrose, vice president of endeavor concern translation for Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky (Stratford, Connecticut), says that the institution is utilizing some AR and VR exertion for each signifier of the merchandise lifecycle, from conception improvement to manufacturing to the proviso chain. (Figure 2.)

[Figure 2 | Sikorsky’s mill level successful Stratford, Connecticut, wherever workers usage AR and VR exertion to amended manufacturing. Photo courtesy Lockheed Martin.]

“The model-based plan information that we make to conscionable lawsuit requirements ... is incorporated into virtual-reality and augmented-reality tools that accelerate delivery,” helium says.

The institution uses some VR and AR exertion to assistance engineers, factory-floor employees, craft maintainers, and the customers themselves “identify and instrumentality efficient, ergonomic enactment processes,” Ambrose says.

He says that the institution accomplishes this task by taking integer information and utilizing it to plan a mill that operates much rapidly and efficiently.

“Our teams tin usage the integer exemplary to marque our craft easier to maintain, and adjacent trim problems done usage of integer tools,” helium says. “An illustration of this is the usage of integer torque wrenches calibrated to tighten each bolt to the close tolerance. When the bolt is tightened to the close tolerance, the worker utilizing VR glasses and the wrench sees a greenish awesome that lets them cognize the occupation has been done correctly.” (Figure 3.)

[Figure 3 | A Sikorsky mechanic uses digitally automated tools connected the CH-53K program. Photo courtesy Lockheed Martin.]

In the past, erstwhile companies lone had computer-aided design, they did not person entree to integer information connected cardinal attributes, specifications, and tolerances.

“In bid to person things similar virtual reality, you person to person each that information linked,” Ambrose says, who credited VR with reducing gearbox improvement from 3 years to a twelvemonth and a half. “Once that information is successful place, you tin plan the enactment environment, the enactment processes, and the craft utilizing integer data.”

Asked whether the institution placed much accent connected VR oregon AR, Ambrose says some were essential.

“Augmented world supplements virtual reality,” helium asserts. “Model-based plan and high-powered computing alteration some of them.”

As for the aboriginal of AR and VR, Ambrose says the emergence successful computing powerfulness is apt to person a large impact.

“As computers go much sophisticated, VR technologies volition person entree to adjacent much data,” helium says. “Also, arsenic much of our suppliers and customers go proficient successful the usage of these technologies, model-based plan volition go adjacent much effective.”

AR connected the battlefield

AR tin besides beryllium utilized for battlefield applications. One of the main imaginable benefits that the manufacture has zeroed successful on: expanding situational consciousness for soldiers.

Northrop Grumman (Falls Church, Virginia) is moving with Microsoft’s HoloLens exertion to make an AR headset that provides a graphical overlay connected apical of a transparent lens that tin amusement further accusation to the soldier. The worker inactive sees the battlefield arsenic normal, but the lens would supply an interface with elaborate quality indispensable to the mission, according to accusation connected Northrop Grumman’s AR page.

Northrop Grumman’s info says that AR is presently being utilized by the U.S. Army with the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), which includes a ruggedized mentation of the HoloLens.

Some of the astir promising aboriginal applications connected the battlefield for AR exertion see reconnaissance, command, and peculiar operations, but its capabilities could spell acold beyond that.

On the company’s site, AR squad subordinate Wes Harden sums up the AR situation: “Ultimately, we’re processing a idiosyncratic interface that tin beryllium applied successful a multitude of antithetic ways to galore antithetic sectors."