Wednesday, May 07, 2014

Oculus Rift & the Norwegian Army...



via CNET.com
Video games and warfare have had a long relationship, so it was only a matter of time before a military operation got its fingers in the Oculus Rift pie. The virtual-reality headset designed for gaming applications is now being used by the Norwegian army to help them drive tanks by providing a 360-degree view outside the vehicle.
The system consists of a series of four video cameras with convex lenses both front and back of the tank. With each set of cameras offering a 185-degree view, this covers 360 degrees around the tank -- and, thanks to the Oculus Rift's motion tracking, all the operator has to do to move their view around is turn their head. This allows for the driver to negotiate hazardous situations without having to open the hatch and look around.
The video game connection is not lost on the team.
"Those who play Battlefield can see much better than you do in an actual vehicle," Making View's Daniel Mestervik told Norwegian news service TU. "With our software, you can add elements we are used to from games. You can have a map, you can show each orientation, how much you tilt, the speed -- it's very useful when you have to close all your hatches."
However, the system can't yet serve as a full-time replacement for looking around. For starters, any equipment placed on the outside of a tank is vulnerable to the hazardous situations the driver may be trying to avoid.
I'm not so sure about this.  We'll see, but I wonder what the advantage is over cameras and display screens used on vehicles today?

7 comments :

  1. Plenty of advantages, especialy if its -10 degree celcius outside which i think would be a standard Nordic winter. Not popping your face outside in the cold would be nice. And finally, a tank driver who can now see behind his vehicle and the blindside just like a jet fighter in his 360 degree canopy by simply just turning his head without losing focus. No matter which direction he looks at, he will always have a reference to his Heads-Up-Display Mini-map, fuel/range reference, blue force markers, objective markers, GPS direction or any amout of information which can be programed depending on the mission. And, since its electronic, all the various types of info can be toggles on/off. And the article is right, it is going to be stressfull for eyes so only use when you have to.

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  2. but dont miss the underyling message in the article----Cheap, Frugal Battlefield Awareness.

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    1. have you noticed that for the past 20 years the focus has been on awareness and not increasing lethality?

      we're going to know everything we need to know about what is going to kill us but will be powerless to stop it.

      Delete
    2. Hay sol,

      sarcasm, aside.

      your missing the point, awareness, increases, lethality, First look, first hit, first kill.

      so the saying goes.

      Delete
  3. Solomon, this exactly the kind of awareness that we actually need. The Norwegians are actually applying good old "Viking Longboat" frugalism to tackle a problem which even the best of Lockheed chaps working on the F-35 Helmet cant solve. Behind it all there is nothing but a commercially available processor, graphics card and over the shelf cheap electronics that are the foundation of this project. What ultimatly turns up may be different from what the are going for now, but the foundation/mentality of the project seems good now. Most Scandinavian car owners are already going in for those Mercedes style in car cameras and collision detection systems just for normal driving cause their terrain is unforgiving, let their troops also get some of those commercially available tech.

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    Replies
    1. oh boy

      Military spec items and civilian spec items are two completely different things.

      Most Scandinavian car owners CAN'T afford a new Mercedes, as they cost 100,000 dollars after taxes. Plus, most Scandinavian states HATE cars.

      Delete
  4. A camera can be shot to pieces or obscured by mud, blood, or other things. Cameras also require a power source, unlike a periscope, and they cost more than a periscope.

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