Augmented reality to modernize Army rifleman marksmanship
NewsMarch 28, 2018
PRINCETON, N.J. U.S. Army officials green-lit Phase II of the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program for "Augmented / Mixed Reality for Live Fire Ranges." BANC3 will develop a Head Mounted Display (HMD) and Augmented Reality (AR) software app that will enable U.S. Army Basic Rifleman Marksmanship training to replace traditional silhouette targets with virtual targets. These enhancements will provide advanced training scenarios while significantly reducing maintenance.
BANC3 is developing a see-through Augmented Reality prototype to create realistic simulated human avatar overlays in lieu of standard silhouette representations. This technology can simulate more complex scenarios, including low light conditions, obscurants (smoke), and realistic target behavior during live fire training exercises.
BANC3's AR solution addresses major technical challenges including: highly accurate head tracking to correctly adjust the simulated target position in the shooter's field of view, real-time object recognition to compensate for occlusion from the weapon sight and other objects, and helmet mounted display optics and sensors that are small and light enough to avoid any impact to the shooter's head position and aim.
