AR Parachute Rigging

The Army faces a critical shortage of skilled personnel for parachute rigging operations, particularly in the rigging of large cargo for aerial delivery. This shortage presents a significant challenge to mission readiness, as current rigging tasks require specialized knowledge typically possessed by trained expert Parachute Riggers. The complexity of rigging equipment like the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) for aerial delivery demands precise procedural execution, which is difficult for untrained personnel. There is a pressing need for a solution that allows non-expert Soldiers to safely and efficiently complete rigging tasks without relying heavily on limited rigger expertise. SAFEDROP is an Augmented and Mixed Reality (AR/MR) and Computer Vision (CV) solution designed to guide non-expert Soldiers through complex rigging tasks using wearable AR/MR headsets. The system utilizes AR/MR overlays, digital twinning, and 3D object recognition to ensure precise alignment between virtual guidance and physical objects, such as cargo to be rigged. Soldiers can download rigging instructions and 3D models for offline use in environments with no connectivity, while real-time shared field-of-view and live annotation reachback support from expert riggers is available when connectivity is available. The system will also allow Soldiers to scan and identify cargo from a pre-existing database or guide them through the process of creating new scans to add equipment to the system. This comprehensive, hands-free AR solution ensures that non-experts can complete rigging tasks accurately, reducing dependency on scarce rigger resources.The proposed direct-to-Phase II effort focuses on developing a minimum viable product (MVP) that includes the core SAFEDROP capabilities in an integrated turnkey solution. Guided by our team's internal Army SOF Parachute Rigging subject-matter experts, our team will conduct initial tests to validate the full-scope system from expert content creation, to rigging job configuration, and rigging guidance overlays and reachback support. The final anticipated outcome being the delivery of a TRL 6 or higher SAFEDROP prototype system for Army evaluation.