Raytheon Developing Next-Gen Interface For Ground Vehicles

Raytheon is developing a new technology to provide comprehensive situational awareness to troops inside windowless armored vehicles.

The development is part of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)'s Ground X-Vehicle Technologies (GXV-T) program.

"Our team is developing a virtual experience that gives the crews of armored military vehicles greater awareness of what's going on outside the vehicle, while also reducing their vulnerability to attack," said David Diller, GXV-T program manager for Raytheon BBN. Raytheon BBN Technologies is a subsidiary of Raytheon Company.

"We're creating a three-dimensional model of the environment in real time that gives users views of their outside environment that would not normally be possible from inside the vehicle.", he added.

The Raytheon BBN technology uses lidar data to create a 3D model of the environment, employing high-definition video to produce a detailed, natural rendering of the surroundings.

Additional sensors deliver the precise location of any incoming hostile fire, while blue-force position updates locate friendly forces. Presenting all this sensor data in a natural, intuitive interface improves situational awareness while reducing the workload for the crew and allowing them to focus on the most relevant threats and challenges.

The goal of GXV-T is to improve the mobility and survivability of armored vehicles without adding more armor and weight. DARPA is funding advanced technology development in four related areas: mobility enhancement, agility for survivability, crew augmentation and signature management. Raytheon BBN Technologies is developing crew-augmenting technologies.