Honeywell, Army Test Helmet-Mounted Vision System in Bradley Fighting Vehicle

The U.S. Army has partnered with Honeywell to test a prototype virtual window technology on board the service’s Bradley fighting vehicle platform.

Honeywell developed the vision system that integrates augmented and virtual reality functions with a helmet-mounted display as part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency‘s Ground X-Vehicle Technologies program, the company said Monday.

The system, dubbed the GXV-T Crew Station Augmentation Concept, uses sensors built to provide a 360-degree coverage area for awareness.

The Army Research, Development and Engineering Command’s ground vehicle systems center has completed tests of the prototype at Camp Grayling in Michigan. Tests will resume at Fort Stewart in Georgia over the next few months.

“This emerging capability is a natural evolution of the closed-hatch environment, and we’re excited about the potential for application of this type of capability to current and future Army ground vehicles,” said John Vala, crew augmentation and simulation test lead at TARDEC.

“With the inputs from various sensors and cameras outside the vehicle enabling this new capability, soldiers may potentially see more detail at greater distances without having to rely on the mirrored sights used today or leaving the protected confines of the vehicle,” he added.