Head Steered Video for Unmanned Vehicles

As IEDs increase in complexity and explosive strength, the Army needs a better way to do IED remediation and road repair to enable our convoys to bring troops and supplies to the battlefield. A primary method of dealing with IEDs in roadbeds is to use a bulldozer to remove (and detonate) the IED and then bring in an excavator to refill the roadbed so that convoys may resume. A heavy duty bulldozer is a formidable tool in removing IEDs; however the cab of the bulldozer is unprotected. By using armor and armored windows the occupant is better protected, but it is harder to see the roadbed and maintain situational awareness. In addition, the bulldozer driver is still vulnerable. Full armor plating of the cab is possible, but this leaves the operator with almost no useful view of the real world. SA Photonics has developed a high resolution, high performance head steered vision system that uses cameras placed on the host vehicle and a high resolution head mounted display. A head steered tracking system allows the user to feel like they are in the cab of the vehicle while remaining protected in a tank, fighting vehicle or armored personnel carrier.