Infantry Heads Up Display (HUD)

[Golan2072]

Mercenary (p.43) talks about helmets incorporating passive IR, light amplification and commo gear; I think it it should be taken a little further and built into a fully blown helmet (or visor) Heads Up Display (HUD).

The idea is to overlay (using one method or another) certain images (such as IR sensor readout, maps or uploaded images) over the soldier's field of view without obscuring much of the view; appropriately equipped guns should also have a high-tech electronic sight and a range-finder linked to the HUD, allowing, in combination with a small dedicated chip, to overlay a crosshair on the HUD showing the adjusted firing arc. Such a sight will also provide the soldier with corner-shot capabilities by opening up a "window" in his field of view showing what the sight sees.

But how would you control such an implant? subvocal commands? touching a sensor with your toung? a switch outside your helmet? psionic switches (the Zhodani would probably use them)?

 

[mike wightman]

The switch could be on the weapon, since it's linked to the helmet.

 

[Piper]

David Drake has helmet systems similar to what you're describing in his "Hammer's Slammers" novels.

The vision systems seem to be switch activated using controls on the helmet. Some functions (such as gas filters and vision protection) are automatic, and the helmets are able to interface with a vehicle's AI system to provide maps and overlays at various degrees of mask as well as targeting data.

I'm not 100% certain, but I think they have some limited verbal command interface as well; possibly an in-helmet AI system of limited ability.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Look at an icon and blink.

 

[Anthony]

I'd probably just put a switch on the weapon, because it's the simplest option, and it would work just fine. Human hands are well designed for controlling things.

 

[DaveChase]

Subvocalized commands. The computer chip is a futuristic PBasic like design. It would allow pre-set programing of input/output.

A weapon switch works with the following potential problems:
Linkage between the helment and weapon:
1) Wire: breaks, exposed, connections get dirty/corroded, entanglement and/or shocks/moisture issues
2) Short range radio signal: Interference, jaming, out of seqeunce with reciever, gives off radio emmissions, signal overlap where another individual recieves the information and/or blockage depending on eviroment
3)Weapon switch: breakage, sticks on or off, accidental pushing/switching, must be linked to HUD in some form and/or not compatiable with other HUD type displays

Of course I did not list the potential benefits that could be considered with a weapon switch for controling a HUD

Dave Chase

 

[Piper]

You could have the weapon inductively coupled through a palm or wrist sensor. No cables and a very low-level signal. Grab the grip and the HUD pops up. It could also safe the weapon from unauthorized users.

 

[far-trader]

One thing about such a safety on a military weapon, you want to be able to pick up a friendly weapon and be able to use it while still denying unfriendlies from using it on you. So the coupler worn should probably have its own cutout circuit such that if the glove or whatever is removed it has to be reset by code or something. Of course all this adds more places for Murphy to hide.

One pro leaps to mind for a hardwire link to the weapon. It could act as a lanyard. Used to be very popular for pistols*. Should see a resurgence in space combat where zero-g could see the weapon drift away if dropped.

* I've often wondered just when and why it went out of fashion. Not really related here but a small sidebar is always good if anyone knows

Actually this deserves a topic of it's own, maybe I'm making one anyway

Stroll by if you care, just follow the cord...

>--------

(it's a link )

 

[mike wightman]

Originally posted by DaveChase:
Subvocalized commands. The computer chip is a futuristic PBasic like design. It would allow pre-set programing of input/output.

A weapon switch works with the following potential problems:
<snip>

You could give exactly the same problems for the electronic sight functions from the weapon to the HUD.

If the link from the weapon to the HUD is down, for whatever reason, the system won't work anyway.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

An idea from several scifi stories is the mandibular implant. The right pressure (not the same as chewing, etc.) activates the switch, then subvocalization is used to transmit. Similar techniques can be used to control HUDs.

Vocalization would be fine, if you had a "push-to-talk" for comms.

Oh, Andrew... And what happens when something gets in your eye? Or you start to fall asleep (after the stimtabs wear off)? Your HUD begins having electronic fits is what!

(Not even taking into account that you blink constantly throughout the day.)

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by Fritz88:
Oh, Andrew... And what happens when something gets in your eye? Or you start to fall asleep (after the stimtabs wear off)? Your HUD begins having electronic fits is what!

(Not even taking into account that you blink constantly throughout the day.)

But I think the ones in use now work on a wink rather than a blink (one eye vs two) and is what Andrew may have meant. So no worry when your eyelids droop (in fact it could be programmed to note fatique from such and administer another wakeup stim automatically unless over-ridden), or if something gets in an eye (the natuaral blink reaction to an object in one eye blinks both eyes usually, and besides you're wearing a full helmet or goggles at least for the system to work so there's not much chance of that )

Nope not much worry about the HUD having fits or doing the wrong thing at the wrong time unless maybe you have a nervous tic and then that'd probably wash you out of HUD using assignments.

 

[Anthony]

The problem with an eye control, of any sort, is that in order to use it you have to look at it, which means you aren't looking at something else, such as a target.

The problem with speaking, other than the difficulties of speech recognition, is that it requires you to make a noise.

In general, for designs with a very simple command set, such as something with an on/off setting, switches and dials generally work best. For something with a very complex command set, voice or a keyboard probably makes the most sense.

 

[far-trader]

I thought some rl military pilots are using a single eye HUD for multi-tasking. One eye on the flying and one eye (HUD) on the weapons arming/aiming. So you are keeping an eye on the target (the one with the HUD and all it's data). Of course it takes a knack to do it and not everyone can, so that needs to be accounted for (MT has numbers for it, either on the Equipment Data Sheet for the DDR or somewhere in the books).

 

[Piper]

There's a version of a helmet HUD currently in use on Apache and Mangusta helicopters.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Dan, you don't think there's dust inside your suit? The Navy has to dust it's ships when they are at sea! I don't think a little thing like a mostly sealed environment will stop that.

Besides, there's plenty (like eyelashes) to get in your eye just from your own self.

Anthony, speaking wouldn't be bad if you're in a suit (Combat Armour, BD, etc.) It might be a problem with an open helmet, yes.

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by Fritz88:
Dan, you don't think there's dust inside your suit? The Navy has to dust it's ships when they are at sea! I don't think a little thing like a mostly sealed environment will stop that.

Besides, there's plenty (like eyelashes) to get in your eye just from your own self.

That's true. And I do suffer from the eyelash problem often enough I should have thought of it myself. The Imperial Navy probably still has to dust their ships too, even the ones that never have anything except an artificial atmosphere

There goes that escape from constant allergy nuisance

 

[DaveChase]

Actually your body makes as much noise as any individual trained in making subvocal noise in their throat. As for confusing everyday speech and the subvocal noise there are 2 ways around this:
1) use of words/noises that are completely unrelated or recongized as words
2) a word or prephrase that the computer recongizes that everything following is a command for it until either a) the computer only handles 1 comand per prephrase or b) there is a subphrase that ends all command functions

Inside a helmet or space suit (battlesuit) subvocal commands would never be heard by anyone out side of the suit.

As for a HUD that uses eye movement, I know that you can find paraplagics (sorry about the spelling) today that use this to make artificial speech.

Read COBRA (triology by Timothy Zahn (well know for his Star Wars books), the warriors in there had to move their body in a certain way to make the lasers work and they had a battle computer that interperted what the body saw/reacted to, to determine what programing to initiate. (Also in a short story by Zahn called Johnny Comes Marching Home.

And Murphy will always find find find find (hickup) away to mess things up.

Dave Chase

 

[Piper]

Originally posted by DaveChase:

1) use of words/noises that are completely unrelated or recongized as words

Or an artificial language such as lojban.

2) a word or prephrase that the computer recongizes that everything following is a command for it until either a) the computer only handles 1 comand per prephrase or b) there is a subphrase that ends all command functions

Yes .... thanks for the memory jog. In Drake's novels they usually preface commands to the AI with the word "booster".

I wonder if people, being people, will humanize their AI's to a degree? Give them names, choose voice patterns, possibly even select "personality" the way we pick ringtones for cellular phones now.

[silliness/]
Battlesuit AI "Yvette"
Nasiirka personality profile 17-A: human, female, young, saucy
Voice tone 1386-D: Galanglic, French-accented, sultry

Yvette: "Targeting laser incoming from this vector, mon cher. Deploying aerosol."
(A vertical line on the visor displays the vector)
"Signature indicates TAC missile launcher."

Trooper (taking cover): "Yvette; gimme a shot!"

(pulsing dot appears on visor)
Yvette: "Grenade vector displayed, cherie."

POP!

Yvette: "Target neutralized. Well done, mon ami."

[/silliness]

 

[mike wightman]

You could almost design this as a LBB:8 robot...

You'd put the sensors etc. on the helmet itself and need a small backpack/beltpack robot brain to run the software...

TL12/13 should do it...

 

[DaveChase]

With 14vl left over in the battle suit you could make a TL 15 computer (using TL13 parts) that would work as a support computer. (using T20 rules)

I have been playing with the idea and have a hardwired targeting computer (from T20 book) and a computer built (TL15 using TL13 tech for 20% space saving).
Have to take away 2vl of fuel to make it work (at least as of right now in design)

It has a 8 CHA stat, Master program, 3 Skill in Battlesuit.

It can work

Maybe I will have time next week to fine tune it

Dave Chase