The Patriot Files Forums  

Go Back   The Patriot Files Forums > Military News > Army

Post New Thread  Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 06-21-2018, 07:32 AM
Boats's Avatar
Boats Boats is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sauk Village, IL
Posts: 21,783
Arrow How to make paratroopers more lethal? Use science to check their statuses like charac

How to make paratroopers more lethal? Use science to check their statuses like characters in a video game, general says
By: Drew Brooks - 6-21-18
RE: https://www.stripes.com/news/how-to-...-says-1.534011

Imagine a world where Army leaders can monitor their soldiers much as you would a video game character — with something akin to a health bar and real-time tracking of physical and mental readiness.

That's what the 82nd Airborne Division wants. And now, a group of scientists led by the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center are working to make it happen.

On Wednesday, leaders from across the Army were given a peek at how that work is coming along.

At Green Ramp, officials from Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center and eight other organizations that are partnered for the a first-of-its-kind, multi-domain study provided an overview of their efforts so far and what's to come.

Erika Hussey, a research psychologist on NSRDEC's Cognitive Science Team and one of the program leads for the Monitoring and Assessing Soldier Tactical Readiness and Effectiveness, or MASTR-E, study, said researchers had measured hundreds of metrics with the help of Fort Bragg, N.C., paratroopers earlier this month with a goal of identifying the human performance "x-factors" that can reliably predict sustained soldier and squad lethality.

The data collected included heart rate, body temperature, stress levels, energy intake and shot accuracy during a 72-hour live-fire training exercise conducted by soldiers with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.

More than 60 paratroopers from A Company, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment took part in the study, setting baseline measures across four categories — health, physical, social-emotional and cognitive.

The soldiers then wore a variety of sensors during a field exercise. They included GPS trackers to measure swarm behavior and social distance; pods that tracked walking speed acceleration; bioharnesses that measured heart rate, breathing patterns, balance and body temperature; wrist sensors that measured sleep and activity; and sensors on their helmets that tracked their head movements.

Scientists also measured stress, muscle fatigue and immune system functions through saliva samples and measured water intake throughout the exercise.

Officials established baseline measures before the exercise and also tracked how the soldiers recovered in the days following the mission.

The big question on Wednesday:

"What are we going to do with all this data?" Hussey said.

Officials said the study still underway could eventually help enable leader decisions on the battlefield and inform better training on the homefront. It is also helping to drive the development of other research projects, including the development of exoskeletons meant to reduce physical injuries while increasing speed and strength.

The MASTR-E study is a collaboration between NSRDEC and several other Army and academic organizations, including the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, the United States Military Academy at West Point, the Army Research Institute and the Center for Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences, which is co-directed by NSRDEC and Tufts University.

Hussey said that more than 100 scientists and researchers have participated in the effort.

The partnership between NSRDEC and the 82nd Airborne Division began roughly two years ago, officials said.

Maj. Gen. Erik Kurilla, commanding general of the 82nd Airborne, challenged Army scientists to "solve for x" to help the division better track the cognitive and physical ability of its paratroopers and, if needed, adjust training to get the most out of its soldiers.

The goal, he said, was to make paratroopers more lethal.

Kurilla said he envisioned being able to see the status of paratroopers in much the same way one would view a character in the popular Call of Duty or Halo video games series.

Douglas A. Tamilio, director of NSRDEC, said the Army is seeking a dashboard not unlike one found in a car, with a gas gauge and measures of the car's performance.

Officials said such a dashboard could eventually track not only physical measures, but also the amount of ammo a soldier is carrying and could help predict injuries and fatigue before they occur.

The information would be viewable by commanders overseeing the mission or by leaders on the ground using handheld technology already available to soldiers.

Tamilio said the partnership between NSRDEC and the 82nd Airborne Division was unlike anything that has been done before.

But it could open the doors to even more partnerships, he said, with officials from the 10th Mountain Division, 25th Infantry Division and 101st Airborne Division having reached out to potentially follow in the 82nd Airborne Division's footsteps.

But first, officials are pouring over the data collected from the 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers with the hopes of refining future data collection.

Officials said the multi-domain study allows researchers to see how the human body works as a whole and identify which measures are most important.

And by studying soldiers working as a squad, researchers also hope to pinpoint characteristics that make a good team and a good team leader.

British Army Brig. Oliver Kingsbury, the 82nd Airborne Division's deputy commanding general for plans, said the division is taking the MASTR-E study very seriously.

He said no subject is too technical or forward thinking when it comes to better preparing paratroopers, and highlighted the effort as being part of the Army's larger efforts to modernize.

"Anything we can do to look after soldiers and make them more efficient is critically important," he said. "Modernization is front and center."
__________________
Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 01:47 AM.


Powered by vBulletin, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.