TELTAN: Telemedicine over a Tactical Network

Abstract:Warfighters are being pushed further and further afield, leaving them outside the range of medical experts. Existing Virtual Interactive Presence and Augmented Reality (VIPAR) systems have shown great potential in making medical expertise available in the field, but require network and hardware performance characteristics that are typically unavailable in combat scenarios. Expensive and specialized pieces of hardware are an additional strain on warfighters and often require supplemental training. Systems designed and tested on dedicated high-speed networks are unsuitable for the dynamic, low-bandwidth nature of a tactical network where mission needs must take priority. Based on a successful SBIR Phase I prototype, ATC-NY will develop TELTAN (TELemedicine over a TActical Network) to bring real-time, interactive remote medical assistance to units in the field. TELTAN is a multi-platform VIPAR system that can run on soldiers existing mobile devices using low-bandwidth tactical networks.