U.S. Army’s Tactical Augmented Reality turns grunts into AR-toting soldiers

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U.S. Army’s Tactical Augmented Reality turns grunts into AR-toting soldiers
By: CHARLES SINGLETARY, UPLOADVR@UPLOADVR JULY 8, 2017 7:03 PM
RE: https://venturebeat.com/2017/07/08/u...VentureBeat%29


Many of the great minds in the tech industry believe augmented reality could have an incredible impact on our lives, including Apple CEO Tim Cook who believes AR could develop an audience as large as mobile phones.

You can add the minds behind the U.S. military to that list now, as Next Reality News reports that the U.S. Army is now outfitting their soldiers with a new augmented display called Tactical Augmented Reality or T.A.R.

Through T.A.R., soldiers will have hands-free access to information such as ally/enemy location and your own position dependent on observed landmarks. Via a wireless connection to a tablet and thermal site on their weapon, soldiers can access their weapon’s point of view so that they can observe their surroundings without losing sight of their targets.

In its current form, T.A.R. is a miniature display breakthrough where the high-definition visuals fit into a one-square-inch screen. It’s currently utilized in night-vision goggles with the option to be viewed in monochrome in daylight and the team behind it is continuing to work on the display to reach full-color for daylight viewing.

Black Mirror, an anthology series, tackles stories revolving around extreme advancements in tech, similar to a technology-focused Twilight Zone. In the episode called Men Against Fire, the soldiers of the future used a collection of enhancements including AR. In a dark twist, it turns out their augmented experiences were being manipulated heavily to influence their actions in the field and, although the level of advancement in that episode is far off from now, such a thing could be a concern as third parties attempt to modify or influence what’s being seen.