The Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) in the Ministry of Defence together with Elbit Systems, the project’s integrator, and additional defence industries recently demonstrated the “Edge of Tomorrow” project’s capabilities at an IDF training centre. The demonstration included a simulated response to an operational scenario. IDF soldiers from elite units incorporated the wearable technologies and demonstrated initial abilities in the fields of lethality, survivability, and increased synergy.
“Edge of Tomorrow” is a project focused on the development of cutting-edge technologies to improve a range of mission capabilities among combat soldiers in the IDF’s Infantry Corps including:
- lethality
- situational awareness
- survivability
- stamina
- cognitive load
- enemy exposure
- performance analysis and simulation
- command and control
The project aims to strengthen the synergy between individual soldiers and their teams through the adoption of the Soldier As System (SAS) and the Platoon As System (PAS) approaches.
The “Edge of Tomorrow” project incorporates networked warfare technologies including communication for the soldier and team level as well as TORCH-X-based applications for team and platoon levels. The various technologies include:
- augmented reality goggles
- a computerised assault rifle system
- a digital head-mounted display system
- hostile fire detection technology
- a location-tracking system in GPS denied environments
- tactile sleeves for navigation and command transmittance
- a voice command system (similar to systems used on smartphones).
JH