Advanced Personal Communicator

"The vision of the Advanced Personal Communicator (APC) is a Navyvessel with reduced manning and yet a higher crew efficiency.The device we propose to develop is a maintenance aid andcommunication device that allows the user to communicate with anyother APC user anywhere on the ship through two-way wirelessvideo. Each user will also be given access to any documentsavailable on the ship-wide wireless network. This will reducethe need to travel from point to point gathering the tools anddocumentation necessary to complete a job. The tools will alwaysbe at hand.The main objective of this Phase II project will be to developthe hardware and software necessary to create a bridge between awireless short-range personal network and a wireless ship-widenetwork. The use of the ship-wide network will provide the useraccess to the ship's database of documentation, while thepersonal wireless network will allow the user to have any numberof wireless module tools at his or her disposal. This solutionoffers a flexible tool that is also easily adaptable to newtechnology.BENEFITS: The crux of this Phase II proposal is to develop a device for the Smartship acquisition program (TSC-F8). Other possible applications are as non-military maintenance devices for use in search and rescue teams, hazardous waste cleanup andmanagement, as well as industrial plant management."