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The U.S. Army wants form-fitting gloves for soldiers that use mobile devices and tablets in the field, InformationWeek reports.
Touchscreen devices react to bioelectrons in the users’ hands and the Army said protective cases soldiers use make it difficult to effectively use fielded devices.
According to a request for information on FedBizOpps, the Army plans to purchase flame retardant and battlefield-tough gloves with metal sewn in to effectively use touchscreen devices.
The Army said the gloves could let soldiers manipulate graphic interfaces and tactical software applications on their mobile devices.
Purchased gloves will be used under the Army’s Nett Warrior program, which was previously geared toward developing wearable computers, but has since been reformed to focus on smartphone and tablet use.
The program aims to employ wireless networking to allow soldiers to determine their locations and transmit images, among other goals.
While the Army does not specify the number of gloves it will buy, the branch said it plans to distribute some to the 38 brigade combat team members between 2013 and 2016.
