Honeywell 360: The future of wearable tech for warfighters

Nov 27

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Ryan Robertson Anchor/Reporter

By Ryan Robertson (Anchor/Reporter), Brett Baker (Senior Producer), Brian Spencer (Video Editor), Dakota Piteo (Senior Motion Designer)

For many, the image of Buffalo Bill stalking Clarice Starling through his dimly lit basement using night vision goggles in “The Silence of the Lambs” was the first exposure to wearable tech designed to give users an advantage in the dark. It has been 33 years since that award-winning film hit the silver screen, and such hardware is now commonplace in military units worldwide.

At this year’s Association of the United States Army (AUSA) gathering, Straight Arrow News had the opportunity to see what could be the next game-changer in wearable tech for American warfighters.

The Honeywell 360 Display resembles high-tech arcade game equipment and could become a modern warrior’s best friend in low-light environments. It also eliminates the problems of previous designs.

“The Honeywell 360 is designed to operate a vehicle at a high rate of speed without any outside visual reference, meaning no windows, and do that without making you sick,” said Adam Gavrich, senior technical sales manager at Honeywell. “Our system is one of the only systems that can do that for an extended period without making you ill.”

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The system’s technology focuses on low latency and depth perception to simulate natural vision. Gavrich explained that the 360 Display is vehicle, camera and sensor agnostic, meaning it can integrate with existing cameras and mountings for standard night vision goggles.

“The idea is to take a vehicle that might already have cameras and integrate with those existing cameras,” Gavrich said. “If you have a requirement for very high-end cameras, very high resolution, we can integrate with that. If you have lower resolution cameras, we can do that as well and still safely operate the vehicle using our headset technology.”

The system has 26 U.S. patents for its anti-motion sickness technology. Currently in production, it is being fine-tuned for military operations.

“Simulating your natural vision and making your body feel as if it is looking with its own two eyes when it actually has no reference is crucial,” Gavrich said. “We have to accurately find the position of your head, accounting for both unnatural motion from the vehicle and where you are intentionally moving your head. When those two things agree, you do not get sick.”

Unlike most showcased at AUSA, the SAN team was able to climb into a vehicle and try the 360 Display.

The team said it felt like an F-35 glass cockpit. If a pilot were to look back, they would be able to see what is directly behind the vehicle. In a combat scenario, that could be militants or innocents the pilot doesn’t want to run over.

Another important aspect is the effort to avoid adding neck strain to the wearer.

“We are taking weight out of our prototype, and it is going to be very light,” Gavrich said. “When you put on the headset today, it feels heavy because it is a military helmet. The end target system will be very light and rugged to support military operations. We cannot have a heavy headset that adds a lot of neck strain, and that is a design consideration we have accommodated for.”

While Honeywell has not yet disclosed which American troops will first use the 360 Display, Gavrich mentioned that the company recently won several unannounced contracts. When those deals are announced, SAN will provide more updates.

Access the full Weapons and Warfare episode here.

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Tags: Plane, Technology, U.S. military, Weapons

[Ryan Robertson]

FOR VIEWERS OF A CERTAIN AGE, THE IMAGE OF BUFFALO BILL STALKING CLARICE STARLING THROUGH HIS DIMLY LIT BASEMENT WHILE USING NIGHT VISION GOGGLES IN THE ‘SILENCE OF THE LAMBS’ WAS LIKELY A FIRST EXPOSURE, OF SORTS, TO THE KIND OF WEARABLE TECH MEANT TO GIVE USERS THE UPPER HAND IN THE DARK

IT’S BEEN 33 YEARS SINCE THAT ACADEMY AWARD WINNER GRACED THE SILVER SCREEN, AND THAT KIND OF HARDWARE IS NOW COMMONPLACE IN MILITARY UNITS ALL OVER THE WORLD. AT THIS YEAR’S AUSA GATHERING I GOT A FIRSTHAND LOOK AT WHAT COULD BE THE NEXT GAME CHANGER IN WEARABLE TECH FOR AMERICAN WARFIGHTERS.

“If you move your head back and forth, I want you to see how that feels… ”

WHILE IT MAY LOOK LIKE SOMETHING STRAIGHT FROM A HIGH TECH ARCADE GAME, THE HONEYWELL 360 DISPLAY COULD VERY WELL BE THE MODERN WARRIORS BEST FRIEND IN LOW LIGHT ENVIRONMENTS. INTENTIONALLY BUILT WITH THE IDEA OF ELIMINATING THE PROBLEMS OF PREVIOUS ITERATIONS.

[Adam Gavrich, Senior Technical Sales Manager, Honeywell]

“The Honeywell 360 is designed to be able to operate a vehicle at a high rate of speed without any outside visual reference, meaning no windows, and do that without making you sick. And so that last part of not creating motion sickness is really where we focused a lot of our technology development. And our system, I would say, is one of the only systems that can do that for an extended period of time without making you ill.”

[Ryan Robertson]

THE SYSTEM’S TECHNOLOGY FOCUSES ON LOW LATENCY AND DEPTH PERCEPTION TO SIMULATE NATURAL VISION. ADAM GAVRICH, A SENIOR TECHNICAL SALES MANAGER FOR HONEYWELL SAYS THE 360 DISPLAY IS VEHICLE, CAMERA, AND SENSOR AGNOSTIC, MEANING IT CAN INTEGRATE WITH EXISTING CAMERAS AND MOUNTINGS FOR STANDARD NIGHT VISION GOGGLES.

[Adam Gavrich, Senior Technical Sales Manager, Honeywell]

“So the idea is to be able to take a vehicle that might already have cameras and integrate with those existing cameras. So if you have a requirement for very high end cameras, very high resolution, we can integrate with that. If you have lower resolution cameras, we can do that as well and still safely operate the vehicle using our headset technology.”

[Ryan Robertson]

THE SYSTEM HAS 26 US PATENTS FOR ITS ANTI-MOTION SICKNESS TECHNOLOGY. CURRENTLY IN PRODUCTION, IT IS BEING FINE-TUNED FOR MILITARY OPERATIONS.

[Adam Gavrich, Senior Technical Sales Manager, Honeywell]

“Simulating, as I said, Your Natural Vision, and making your body feel as if it’s looking with its own two eyes when it actually has no reference. In order to do that, we actually have to very accurately find the position of your head, culminating for both unnatural motion from the vehicle, as well as where you’re intentionally moving your head and then basing putting the image up that matches what you’re feeling, and when those two things agree, you don’t get sick. As soon as you start seeing something that your body is not feeling, you get sick, and that’s sometimes why you might get sick, and other types of vehicles, because you’re getting that those miscues between those senses”

[Ryan Robertson]

UNLIKE MOST OF WHAT WE SAW AT AUSA I WAS ACTUALLY ABLE TO CLIMB INTO A VEHICLE AND TRY THE 360 MYSELF.

[Ryan Robertson]

It almost reminds me of the F-35 glass cockpit. Like I’m looking behind the vehicle right now, if I didn’t have this on I would just be seeing you and whatever’s in the back of the vehicle. But I’m looking at crowds of people, which if this was a combat scenario those could be militants, they could be innocents that I’m trying not to run over as I backup” “And those are the situational awareness of the system that are very critical. And not just driving, but keeping the soldier safe, keeping the mission effective, without any windows and fully within armor.”

[Ryan Robertson]

ANOTHER IMPORTANT PIECE OF THE EQUATION, A CONCERTED EFFORT TO NOT ADD ANY NECK STRAIN TO THE WEARER.

[Adam Gavrich, Senior Technical Sales Manager, Honeywell]

“We’re taking weight out of our prototype, and it’s going to be very light. When you put on the headset today, it’s going to feel heavy, but it’s all helmet, because it’s a military helmet. This the End target system is going to be very light and also rugged to support military operations. Because, to your point, we can’t have a heavy headset that’s going to add a lot of neck strain, and that’s a design consideration that we’ve accommodated for.”

[Ryan Robertson]

WHILE NOT YET READY TO TELL US WHO WILL BE THE FIRST AMERICAN TROOPS TO PUT THE 360 DISPLAY TO WORK, GAVRICH DID TELL US HONEYWELL RECENTLY WON SEVERAL AS YET UNANNOUNCED CONTRACTS, BUT WHEN THOSE DEALS ARE ANNOUNCED WE WILL LET YOU KNOW.