The purpose of the proposed research is to design and implement a prototype mobile augmented reality (AR) system to support situation awareness between a group of mobile war fighters. Augmented reality refers to the use of see-through head-worn displays to overlay 3D information of the user's view of the world around them; in this prototype, information about both friendly and unfriendly forces and landmarks relevant to the current operation will be overlaid directly on the soldiers' view of the world.
All branches of the military have envisioned using 3D AR technology at some point in the future, both for operational use and training. The idea of equipping mobile war fighters with AR systems so they can "see" detailed information that would otherwise be hidden has been envisioned for many years (including being the subject of science fiction novels and movies), and is a topic of current research. In this project, the students will prototype a future AR system, using 3D graphics to overlay information directly on the soldier's view of the world around them, rather than presenting this information on a 2D heads-up-display (as would be done with Land Warrior). The students will incorporate sensor information (including the position of the soldier and their allies, plus the locations of any threats or mission targets) with models of the environment to create a dynamic 3D display. They will implement and test their system on the Georgia Tech campus.