Head protection and power/data management specialist Galvion is launching its latest Cortex product range at SOF Week 2025, held in Tampa, Florida, from 5 to 8 May.
Cortex is Galvion’s new category of advanced, intelligent headborne systems that deliver processing, power management and data connectivity to drive “next-level warfighter effectiveness on a digitally enabled battlefield”. Cortex systems feature intuitive design, intelligent integration and mission-adaptable configurations, according to Galvion.
Designed to unify power, data and processing in a modular ecosystem, Cortex enables real-time decision making at the edge while maintaining compatibility with existing tactical gear and workflows.
The Cortex system being displayed by Galvion at SOF Week 2025 is integrated onto the company’s flagship Caiman helmet and features a powerful computer module with internal battery and purpose-built android-based operating system; an integrated accessory network for power and data; multiple system communication protocol options (USB, ISW, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi); an optional battery module for untethered operations; a sensor and emitter pod with open-source architecture for third party integration; a low-profile auto-detecting value-added service (VAS) connection for head-up displays and night-vision goggles with software-enabled augmented reality; a built-in four-key controller for tactile onboard navigation; as well as additional optional, adaptable capabilities. Using Galvion’s Cortex system and proprietary AlertCentr application, the user can view critical Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK) data and operate key ATAK functions with a quick button press, eliminating the need to open end-user development (EUD) software and enabling new levels of situational awareness.
Cortex components are ‘one size fits all’, with adjustable hardware to fit the full helmet size range, and are available for Galvion’s Caiman and Hellbender platforms, as well as select non-Galvion helmet systems. The Cortex system being demonstrated at SOF Week 2025 has been developed over multiple years with input and collaboration from Tier 1 customers, Galvion noted, adding that. customised versions of its integrated systems featuring specifically tailored software and hardware integrations have been delivered to and trialled by undisclosed global customers.
“We have collaborated with some of the world’s most elite teams to imagine the future of integrated head systems, and the launch of the Cortex category marks an exciting milestone in our product and technology evolution,” Galvion CEO Todd Stirtzinger was quoted as saying in a company press release. “Galvion has been deconstructing and re-designing integrated headborne systems since we entered the market, and the Cortex system that we are demonstrating here is really just the beginning.
“This shift from passive protection to next-generation survivable and lethal systems is a step change in capability and digital integration and requires new tools and fast learning,” Stirtzinger added. “This is precisely why we invested millions of dollars in building our state-of-the-art Warfighter Lab, and it plays a huge part in helping us make the best design decisions for this new category of intelligent, integrated systems. SOF Week is a fantastic opportunity for us to introduce Cortex to a wider audience and demonstrate how the Warfighter Lab supports these human-machine interface developments.”
