Comments
robplumm t1_j5yhrb3 wrote
My neck hurts just looking at that pic
Just lugging the little PVS-14s around for a few hours were a PITA on the neck...that thing looks horrendous.
Notice the end said it'd be going to non-light infantry in the future lol.
Killjoy911 t1_j5yi621 wrote
Ya the PVS-14s/31s were and still are annoying as hell. You can counterbalance them all you want. But moving around with a huge weight on the front of your helmet is annoying as shit, team Wendy or not.
FullM3TaLJacK3T t1_j5ym4uz wrote
Yea I remember this.
As a conscript soldier, we weren't issued with counterweights, so after 10 mins of running, jumping and simply moving, the NVGs were at nose level. I couldn't see shit.
robplumm t1_j5ymmq5 wrote
That was the other part...had to strap the helmet down tighter...so jaw ended up hurting.
We owned the night and all...but man it hurt like hell... lol
JaL3J t1_j5z1twc wrote
This. Using NVG correctly is a skillset. So many issues with alignment or fogging up if just given to people without training.
DigitalGraphyte t1_j5yzi62 wrote
Hell, as a volunteer Marine in the 2010's, we weren't given counterweights for them.
PizzaCatLover t1_j617ugr wrote
> PITA in the neck
Was it a pain in the neck though
chicknfly t1_j61k04k wrote
Better PITA in the neck than PITN in somewhere else
Omegalazarus t1_j5z473g wrote
Yeah i started mounting my pvs14 behind my dot on my rifle.
[deleted] t1_j5zui4v wrote
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DarthBuzzard t1_j5zyoe3 wrote
Google Glass is completely unrelated technology to AR. That was a 2D HUD - the equivalent of a smartwatch for your face.
There are very few attempts so far that get close to a pair of sunglasses with AR, and those that do have severe limitations. Snap's AR spectacles only has a 30 minute battery life, Vuzix Shield is only monochrome, and Nreal Light is tethered. All of these have a tiny field of view, and the only known way to achieve a large field of view with AR thus far is a much larger/bulkier device.
Seriously, if you think this is bulky, look at what a very wide FoV AR device looks like: https://www.roadtovr.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/leap-motion-projet-northstar-3.jpg
Killjoy911 t1_j6033bw wrote
We’ll see my theory is…… that whoever develops this shit plays to much call of duty. Media puts out this image of a futuristic soldier with jet packs and 3d hologlasses… and Fuckin millennium falcons (joking of course) and the engineers that design this have never been in a conflict. The closest they get is watching fury with the lights off and surround sound. They don’t realize that for most cases.. the less shit you can carry the better, especially when you’re on foot. Your maneuverability increases, your SA (situational awareness) increases and you are able to operate at an op tempo that’s higher for a longer period of time. Then on top of that, they try and get it to integrate with gear that’s already fielded.. old battery technology.. etc to save money… I could go on and on…
Max-Phallus t1_j60xhw0 wrote
It's more likely the military were interested in the tech so invested in checking it out.
universaladaptoid t1_j68xj0c wrote
The engineers aren't developing this in isolation and trying to get soldiers to use them - The DoD likely put out an RFP with specific requirements that they're looking for, and there are obviously clear limitations with how technology can be developed. The DoD and other agencies solicit a ton of proposals and contracts aimed at solving what they seem to be problems, and many of them are unusable due to practical considerations like you've highlighted.
CHANROBI t1_j62en8w wrote
Google glass has nothing to do with nvg tech
[deleted] t1_j5zya0q wrote
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Killjoy911 t1_j60242m wrote
Ya it’s like our RND department is technologically stunted.
getspun97 t1_j61icv8 wrote
Nah it's only the people who are making the decisions
Lexsteel11 t1_j61ernz wrote
Yeah I saw an interview with one of the seals from the bin Laden raid and he got asked about the new crazy looking 4-tube NV goggles and he said normal is like looking through 2 toilet paper tubes in a gunfight and now it’s like having 4, so still not great haha
TarantinoFan23 t1_j61uowi wrote
Just need a com. Someone else can look at shit.
DionysiusRedivivus t1_j6234h4 wrote
You’re missing the point of the Military-industrial complex. To spend copious tax dollars on civilian infrastructure would be socialism! We must support our tech corporations! And if not financially, then physically by wearing heavy NODs that are inefficient.
See also, Catch-22 and Milo Minderbinder’s M&M Enterprises. You must eat the cotton for the good of the syndicate!
[deleted] t1_j62guvw wrote
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Shimmer_Games t1_j627ajg wrote
1984 vibes
ICatchx22I t1_j62br90 wrote
But everybody gets a share!
DionysiusRedivivus t1_j6354bq wrote
“But his parents are wealthy! They don’t need a share!” - Yossarian “Then they will understand.” - Milo
aleks9797 t1_j624wjj wrote
Too many decision makers, forget the people they make decisions for. It's really annoying. At some point, the decision makers are just a waste of money and time and it would be better of getting rid of them completely
Mitthrawnuruo t1_j6098iv wrote
What it comes down to is the army is not willing to pay for what this technology really costs.
F-35 Helmet. 400,000 dollars. Each. Custom built for the individual.
Killjoy911 t1_j609jyn wrote
Oh don’t I know it, they’re still putting one engine on these airplanes… how many have crashed for various reasons so far? Ask me how many new robots I have gotten in the last 6 years?
slowslownotbad t1_j638yms wrote
5 class-A’s, mostly older models. I don’t think the military minds writing off a couple old F-35s, the first production runs were kinda shit.
SGTBookWorm t1_j6gb7lh wrote
there was also that one Japanese crash, due to the pilot being disoriented
slowslownotbad t1_j6gbcq0 wrote
Oh yeah, that’ll getcha
soggybiscuit93 t1_j67kadw wrote
>how many have crashed for various reasons so far?
How much the F-35 has crashed during development and early deployment is actually very low compared to previous planes like the F-15
r2k-in-the-vortex t1_j604xyv wrote
Depends on what it does and how well it does it. The point is to share situational awareness between the unit and maybe UAV oversight too. Imagine every enemy pointed out by big red arrow and every friendly pointed out in blue. If it works well, that's an incredible force multiplier.
I can definitely see it being well worth any inconvenience and more once the technology is mature.
Killjoy911 t1_j605fwl wrote
There’s other ways to do this though, hell the BFT was suppose to be a battlefield datalink and they couldn’t even get that right most the time.
r2k-in-the-vortex t1_j606k3v wrote
Well, it sort of is BFT++ but for individual fighter in whatever ditch he is. Can they get it right or not or how many iterations it might take, that I don't know, but the potential is obvious.
Killjoy911 t1_j607ska wrote
I’m not passed saying it has potential. But it can’t be near as bulky and it has to have an easy UI. I can’t be sitting here practically writing code to place a marker on my virtual map.
r2k-in-the-vortex t1_j609m2p wrote
True enough on usability, it has to reduce the cognitive demands on a trooper, not increase them. The bulk though... if it works well, it's important enough to sacrifice something else from the kit to make up the weight. Can't beat knowing where you are being shot at from.
Killjoy911 t1_j60a4qn wrote
Ya, but in order to know where you’re being shot from you have to have another piece of equipment for that, it’s not like this system can do that by itself. How much more shit can we possibly put on a helmet, without providing a neck brace. And what piece of gear can we sacrifice? Side plates lol?
r2k-in-the-vortex t1_j60cqch wrote
Thing has a cable going down to the vest doesn't it? That's where everything else is. Only the optical package is on the helmet
TheJohnnyFuzz t1_j61kb00 wrote
Yes the mature piece is still another generation away. I’ve been a HoloLens developer for a while- they are not outdoor friendly as they aren’t bright enough, not average consumer friendly, and ideally you pop in use it for what you need a few minutes and hop out-this setup looks more attached to the helmet and less pull down and up. Ergonomically the HoloLens 2 is actually pretty good and on the hard hat version its not bad either. They are a fantastic use case for assembly/manufacturing and industrial use cases with controlled environments. Next generation optics are needed and they’ve got to get brighter before I see them out in the field.
M_Mich t1_j63juj0 wrote
in an assembly plant, i could see it being supported by an overhead arm that takes the weight, similar to how Disney quest had cables on their helmets to offset the weight.
ILoveThisPlace t1_j62j1ah wrote
Yeah, this is it. It's also the basis for future weapon control. I'm surprised the US didn't keep pursuing it.
taichi22 t1_j63f6tm wrote
I suspect the technology being “mature” will involve exoskeletons, tbf.
Korith_Eaglecry t1_j617f3p wrote
As someone that hated all the shit I had to hump in Iraq. This stuff would be at the top of the list to accidentally fall into a shit filled canal.
I'd be shocked if these things didn't fog up the moment an infantryman had to bound 50 meters.
UnfeignedShip t1_j646dbt wrote
No they didn't, the issue was, if you're not used to VR, you could get motion sick. I've used it a lot and think it's a great training and briefing tool, but not everyone needs one.
Killjoy911 t1_j61a5qi wrote
This exactly!
MrFoxManBoy t1_j612mqm wrote
You’d be lucky if you could even get batteries during Iraq/Afghanastan. I used to work with the AR/MR/VR teams that were laid off. Even though I was in the military, they wouldn’t listen to me when I told them tech like Hololens would never work in the field. And here we are 6 years later. But I was just a dirty contractor so what do I know?
M_Mich t1_j63jibu wrote
you say it wouldn’t work, but as long as the contract gets approved, they’ll keep working on it. :)
slowslownotbad t1_j6398d6 wrote
There is stuff that could work, but it has to be small and simple. And the UI has to be tailored to the mission.
For instance, smart watches are good. They’re even pretty durable and reliable these days. The smartwatch team should do AR, and if they say the tech isn’t there, they’re probably right.
Speaking of smart watches, if I was gonna do military AR, that would be my first product. Sunglasses with the time on them. Even if it’s just an analog hour/minute hand, I think people would find a use.
NewDad907 t1_j62ib3k wrote
A Google Glass-like device with a small lumbar battery pack might work.
I’m a nobody and I can come up with better ideas. Why aren’t people paying me for my ideas? It’s a constant brainstorming session here upstairs.
DarthBuzzard t1_j630ou0 wrote
> A Google Glass-like device with a small lumbar battery pack might work.
Well that has nothing to do with AR tech, so it would be performing a different function at that point.
shaggy9c t1_j635ucq wrote
How is that not AR tech?
DarthBuzzard t1_j638inu wrote
Google Glass is a 2D HUD. It's as if you were to take a smartwatch and put it on your face - that's the limit of the functionality you can provide.
AR deals with actually overlaying information into the real world.
shaggy9c t1_j63ejfb wrote
Really? Last time i checked (quite some time ago) it was anything that augments reality . Even 2D HUD
DarthBuzzard t1_j63fktb wrote
Other than Google, I've never heard of anyone in the AR industry try to classify Glass as AR.
The usecases, the tech, the hurdles that have to be crossed are just fundamentally different. It's a bit like a calculator versus a computer. They might technically both be calculators, but a computer is exponentially more complex with entirely different usecases (and at a greater magnitude).
shaggy9c t1_j63unew wrote
Apple and also the HoloLens or how it was called that was forgotten few years ago
DarthBuzzard t1_j63wtco wrote
HoloLens is actual AR, and Apple only ever calls ARKit-related features AR, which is true - that's mobile AR.
TheDebateMatters t1_j64qesp wrote
Is your name Brian?
sesor33 t1_j5z090i wrote
The goal would be to condense it into the visor of a helmet, having an IRL HUD would be extremely useful for navigation, aim, comms, etc.
Killjoy911 t1_j5zol0c wrote
See the problem for me is not the hud system. I agree with you, a hud with locations and directions and all that would be great. It’s the hardware behind it. Shit it probably uses those block singars batteries (2590’s), you feel me. Charging this shit and getting it to glasses that are as thin as m frames, with an easy to use interface…. Not going to happen. People have been watching and playing too many video games.. last deployments I had it was always the simplest shit that worked the best… not this fancy bullshit.
Doggleganger t1_j628250 wrote
Also, you know this shit is gonna blue screen when you need it most. Then you tear it off and it's flopping around behind you, still attached to the battery pack that's strapped on somewhere.
Killjoy911 t1_j62dyzj wrote
Exactly, next thing you know they’re sitting in the back of the ________ (insert MRAP of choice) collecting Fucking dust and taking up space.
Edit: but they have a serial number so of course they have to get inventoried.
qqqzzzeee t1_j62zjns wrote
Well, with batteries you could run a cable from the hypothetical glasses to the battery that hangs on the hip/back or whatever.
NewDad907 t1_j62i5fm wrote
Hell. Google Glass would probably work better.
Sol33t303 t1_j631m3u wrote
Fighter pilots already essentially already have this and it works great for them.
braiinfried t1_j5zld5j wrote
Don’t forget the rule that tech will always fail when you need it most. The last thing you want is this shit going out mid firefight
Killjoy911 t1_j5zotvm wrote
Yup….. exactly, or fail from soldiers using it once and throwing it in the equipment locker and not using it enough to be proficient.
FinalF137 t1_j611lzc wrote
Yeah but imagine if they were able to overlay sensor data on the display showing where radio signals were emanating from then the soldiers would know there's possibly a cell phone, person or remote bomb there.
Mirage2k t1_j61a4rl wrote
Why do you need every soldier carrying and powering the detection-classification-perception system for that, when you can have one such system in the platoon, as needed, from which the track can be transmitted (aka. told) to you when and only when the guy who actually knows how to use it well determines it useful to give you this information.
Like soldiers don't have a hundred other things to carry and think about to fulfill their own specialized roles?
schonkat t1_j62klei wrote
Look at a mobil phone from 20 years ago and compare to what we have now. The size, weight, capability changes. What's important is to have the core concept fine tuned and to keep the development going forward.
pasta4u t1_j63xeq1 wrote
It's new tech as it advances it will get lighter and need to be charged less often. The longer the tech coexists with other technology the more it will get integrated
dzhastin t1_j5ymwqq wrote
They need to go full Warhammer and just patch the sensors directly into the soldiers’ brains. No heavy goggles to worry about, just a skull implant
Bubbagumpredditor t1_j5yqcgc wrote
Yeah, that's all well and good until your solider try to microwave his coffee.
Or the enemy breaks out microwave generarors and starts frying their brain circuits.
Omnivud t1_j5yrvzd wrote
Perhaps a Faraday cage instead of helmet lmao
BoofinBart t1_j63if10 wrote
Tinfoil hats are back on the menu boys!
TheRealDoomsong t1_j5z5fso wrote
Nah, just shield the implant with lead foil, that should stop any outside interference
xenon54xenon54 t1_j5zrvtb wrote
Ah yes, lead, a metal well-known for its safety when inside people's brains.
bucketsofpoo t1_j5ztdgu wrote
The lead makes soldiers angrier so it is a win.
BrevityIsTheSoul t1_j6376lh wrote
That's what the thought leaders tell me.
[deleted] t1_j5yry3j wrote
DARPA has entered the chat
poulard t1_j60gj16 wrote
Yeah Elon Musk is currently working on it.
DJHellduck t1_j62v316 wrote
I guess we should write it off then.
Kitosaki t1_j63ong3 wrote
Yeah, he can’t even buy a functioning, successful company without screwing it up 😂
[deleted] t1_j61in0r wrote
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aughlord t1_j638oqt wrote
Not sure if there are enough sheep, pigs and monkeys on this planet to make it work.
Fuckfuckgoose69 t1_j63rd06 wrote
A lot of soldiers were flipping shit and got chaptered out recently because they were scared the vaccine would enhance their 5g capabilities since they did their facebook research. Good luck convincing them to get a chip in their head
dzhastin t1_j65yil4 wrote
It’s the Emperor’s Will! They will not refuse
larz86 t1_j60ho84 wrote
Lets just create the cylons already and be done with it lol
DynamicHunter t1_j62hjto wrote
Black Mirror would like a word
Zaku_Zaku117 t1_j636m5a wrote
You want to Let a Mil doc operate on your brain? You first champ lol.
TreacheryInc t1_j5yyj35 wrote
The title makes it sound like the soldiers hate it because it makes them “less lethal.” They hate it because it sucks.
themanfromvulcan t1_j60ru4j wrote
Less effective would be better.
drgvccdgniuhnvvhk t1_j621icv wrote
Lethality is effectiveness.
2nameEgg t1_j60xo5y wrote
Who woulda thunk that strapping 5lbs of shit onto someone’s face would suck
StrategicBlenderBall t1_j639uiy wrote
Carrying around extra kit that provides no value on the battlefield makes you less lethal.
Beepboopbob1 t1_j5yvbj3 wrote
AR is undeniably the future. Real time information overlaid on every soldiers vision that allows them to coordinate is too useful a capability to ignore.
Of course it is predicated on the technology being sufficiently mature for field use, which it clearly isn't yet. VR is great for training though.
ChronWeasely t1_j5zmn0c wrote
Who didn't see Iron Man and think, "Damn, wish I just had a HUD for life sometimes."
Like you are a block away from your destination, but you are second-guessing the location and don't want to pull out your phone and open up the map. Then you walk another block to discover you went the wrong way about 5 blocks back and have 10 to walk still because you were actually thinking of that other place.
Not based on real life obviously.
EnergySteal-er t1_j5ztum0 wrote
The AR googles include this technology https://youtu.be/2v0YrtkwUDQ
majiorsamanthacarter t1_j604034 wrote
Then comes the required Ad quotas to watch before you can use features. Or you can subscribe to premium lens!
EnergySteal-er t1_j604e0m wrote
US really is the most advanced military in the world. There’s a lot of black projects of technology not from this world. Just be glad we’re are American
majiorsamanthacarter t1_j605g0j wrote
Oh shit. I feel like COD is just soft disclosure at this point.
Grass---Tastes_Bad t1_j68m05v wrote
Ever heard of voice commands?
acyclovir31 t1_j61vu8d wrote
I believe it’s called Google maps.
ChronWeasely t1_j61wh7q wrote
"...don't want to pull out your phone and check the map."
Read my comment all the way through. Or even halfway. Then don't comment stupid things.
acyclovir31 t1_j620r1u wrote
It’s ok, it’s not your fault. But imagine, pulling out your phone to check. Lol
Mitthrawnuruo t1_j609kau wrote
The problem is a big chunk of the population can not tolerate AR/VR due to motion sickness. Doesn’t matter how good the tech is, their brain doesn’t play well with it.
[deleted] t1_j60s7sq wrote
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_PM_ME_PANGOLINS_ t1_j615iod wrote
AR doesn’t cause motion sickness. There’s no way it could.
DarthBuzzard t1_j631pa4 wrote
It can definitely cause nausea with today's tech. That was one of the complaints for HoloLens IVAS in military testing.
Beepboopbob1 t1_j60arw7 wrote
This goes away after a few sessions for the vast majority of people.
[deleted] t1_j606ia3 wrote
AR needs to stop being interpreted as a heads up display. A direct brain integration via ABI is loads better than visual data that must be noticed and processed.
crane476 t1_j60925f wrote
You're right, AR can be much more than just a heads up display. However, a direct brain interface is even farther away than mainstream AR, which is already at least 5-10 years away, and unless it can be done without directly implanting a device into your brain, 99.9% of people aren't going to use it.
I'm currently skeptical on how feasible a direct brain interface is. It's most likely going to be very invasive, and who knows if it will be better than just really good eye tracking and hand gesture recognition for navigating interfaces.
KrabbyPattyCereal t1_j5ynzzs wrote
Imagine losing this in the field and causing a brigade to do hands across America for 6 days.
bstrobel64 t1_j60dwhl wrote
That was my first thought. More fucking SI to keep track of.
JaL3J t1_j5z433q wrote
I think the IVAS is super interesting. And it packs a helluva lot of sensor tech in a very small package.
However, it does not do well in low light. As is obvious from the pictures, it limits natural light, forcing the soldier to rely on the sensor systems earlier in the day than normal.
Even going into a halfdark building during the day can be an issue with shades.
Yes, you can use the light enhancing sensors, but it's still sucks to wear shades at night.
On top of that, the sensor system does not feature a normal gen3 etc. tube, so it relies purely on the CCD sensor. Old school NVG tubes (as used in PVS14/31) are still vastly superior to CCD's in the same package size.
In terms of being able to see in the dark, on scale from 0-1000, it's like this:
0-100: gen1 NVG,
100-300: Lowlight optimized CCD (small package, eg. Syonix)
200: Bad Gen2 NVG
500: Good Gen2 NVG
1000: Good Gen3 NVG
(This is a simplification. Generation does not correlate to SNR/Res so precisely in reality).
And this is why soldiers would complain. Even the pure night performance capability is serious step back. Especially when you consider the new 31 NVG's that have thermal overlay integrated (honestly this is a really good and usable product design).
Nobel6skull t1_j5zp0ce wrote
In shocking news, brand new technology will take time to work out.
[deleted] t1_j611jtu wrote
Man, I'm baffled about how little perspective people on Reddit have. They're always complaining about AR/VR, AI, game streaming and stuff as if tech don't always get faster, lighter and cheaper over time
There's stuff that are dumb conceptually, like blockchain, but that's a different talk
canttouchmypingas t1_j62ulgz wrote
Lots of people here are teenagers. The other half didn't pay attention in high school and force others to argue with them.
BrevityIsTheSoul t1_j637lye wrote
>as if tech don't always get faster, lighter and cheaper over time
Well, hardware does. Software, on the other hand...
[deleted] t1_j639vul wrote
Hardware surely is the responsible for tech getting faster. But there are many kinds of software, what Meta did with the Quest is amazing when you think of the amount of sensors that thing has processing all the time. Wirth's Law is really felt on web stuff and other enduser applications
[deleted] t1_j63pw7v wrote
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notataco007 t1_j65gq6l wrote
Yeah really hoping this gets refined.
US Army soldiers are ALMOST Ghost Recon IRL. This really could be amazing technology, it's just not practical in it's current form.
Maniac618 t1_j5yvy45 wrote
They've been too quick to throw this out. It'll be back. It's ultimately useful (in a smaller future form factor).
tkuiper t1_j5z1a2k wrote
Form factor was a HUGE blunder imo. They tried to jump straight to the end goal, like this tech isn't challenging af and in its infancy.
imitation_crab_meat t1_j5yufei wrote
Can we give it to cops instead?
tkuiper t1_j5z1fyw wrote
Lmao to lower cop lethality!
tkuiper t1_j5yvj17 wrote
The AR would have to be adding more than it costs...
Step 1 would be minimum interference, that would excuse the least functionality (good for a new tech): minimize weight, easy to setup, don't occupy space that I need for other things (don't be in the way of a scope or helmet).
Step 2 would be to not compete with convention. Humans have great vision and great image recognition. Instead add things they don't have at all: birds eye view, thermal vision, or other live strategic detail (any strategic information best conveyed by image, that would take time to explain verbally). Otherwise your fighting an uphill battle of trying to be better at seeing than actual eyeballs, or more defensive than a dedicated helmet.
What's in that cover photo would need to be explosively powerful to justify itself.
Phobic-window t1_j636vxo wrote
AR is like having eyes that talk to each other telepathically. Some of what you detail is being worked on, but from the first person perspective of a solder in the field, the value prop of AR is always knowing what everyone else (sensors, satellites, drones, other soldiers) are seeing.
Stillwater215 t1_j6023ex wrote
I can get why soldiers currently in the field who are being transitioned to it hate it, but I’d be curious if new soldiers who would be trained on this equipment from the start would see any improvement in effectivity compared to soldiers who were trained without it.
karma_aversion t1_j61g2zz wrote
It would probably depend if they've already been exposed to existing tech already in use that is better, like more recent night vision goggles. The night vision for this headset is old tech and sub par compared to contemporary tech. Anybody would not like something that is worse than what you're already using.
betafishmusic t1_j5zrq6h wrote
I can feel my face pulling forward just looking at this image.
Redrump1221 t1_j611g9x wrote
Less lethal? Maybe we should give this military tech to police in the US instead of 50 cal snipers and immunity from the law
In0nsistentGentleman t1_j5zs0p3 wrote
Wouldn't the results of this be a bit skewed though? I mean, putting them in the 1.0 Version of a specific technology and asking them to do something and then comparing it to the years of training done another way doesn't seem like a very good test. It sounds like the soldiers would need to be brought up and trained using this kind of equipment for months and months to actually determine the viability of it. As a gamer, just think of a new UI when a familiar game releases a new title. It's a bit jarring and tough to get used to until you've immersed yourself in it over the course of months. Take that several levels forward and I can understand why doing it "the old way" would look superior.
In the article, they do go into this a bit but it seems the preference for the old equipment is likely rooted in the unfamiliarity of the new equipment, but also that the 1.0 equipment just isnt...where it needs to be. Which I suppose makes sense.
Though, I think that we should keep investing in the technology because eventually it will be where it needs to be and be a benefit.
Beznia t1_j60mz3k wrote
This is the tech we look back on in 30 years and are like "wow I'm glad the military funded this" like the Internet. These are the early building blocks building the foundation of tech we're all going to be using in 2040.
karma_aversion t1_j61gz9l wrote
That's what they said in the 80s when this tech first appeared, and it was supposed to be the early 2000s where everyone was living in a virtual world.
red0x t1_j61n5rg wrote
I’m really surprised that literally none of the top comments are highlighting anything related to reaction time.
Any “real-time” system still has some latency, and anything that adds any latency to a soldiers visual system is a measurable disadvantage.
The advantage the AR provides would have to compensate for that lag and then some (by a wide margin) to make this make any sort of sense.
This feels like it was doomed from the start.
temp225566 t1_j63zbu0 wrote
a “majority” of soldiers who participated in the operational demonstration “reported at least one symptom of physical impairment to include disorientation, dizziness, eyestrain, headaches, motion sickness and nausea, neck strain and tunnel vision. —-Somehow, I’m not surprised…
ameherzad t1_j5z6sv2 wrote
The particular tech works perfectly at pitch black night: personal experience… you speaking as if you know this and I can tell you are as clueless as one can be about this tech. It’s weight aside, the things it can do blows your mind.
Waggles_T_Snugdragon t1_j5zs7bm wrote
I've played Ghost Recon, it's annoying how long all that shit takes to pop up, it's like trying to text in the middle of a firefight
micahfett t1_j60kwml wrote
Don't worry, it won't get dirty or fog up. I'm sure getting a proper cheek weld will be no problem. Those tubes running down your head to your back will never get snagged on anything, whipping your head back suddenly. Slinging your rifle over your shoulder or back absolutely won't yank all that shit off. Signing for a bunch of SI and spending hours PMCS'ing it and standing in line to return it isn't an issue. All the batteries being dead because the last guy didn't turn it off will never be a thing and the pelican case you have to store it in will easily fit in your ruck - you won't even notice it.
And for all of that convenience you'll receive: slightly less combat efficiency. Please sign here to buy a million.
curiouslyignorant t1_j60l7by wrote
The only way to get rich in the Army is to be a civilian.
khoabear t1_j60sjtv wrote
The army should have invested in Hololive instead of Hololens.
JWF81 t1_j6179b2 wrote
The tech isn’t close to there yet. It’s an awesome concept but execution is waaaay way off.
KingTarro t1_j61ztn2 wrote
staved off the black mirror episode a little longer it seems
3ndt1mes t1_j62p4k4 wrote
I am Jack's total lack of surprise.
One_Clown_Short t1_j66vmal wrote
Blue screen of death takes on a literal meaning.
Seattle_gldr_rdr t1_j5z8jrm wrote
I'm sure those cables never snagged on anything.
LiveLaughLie t1_j60e2p9 wrote
It's not Vault-Tec.
themanfromvulcan t1_j60rnnm wrote
I can’t see a thing in this helmet!
TheLightningPanda t1_j61jr1v wrote
Kinda related, I was involved in a research study for the HoloLens at my university a couple months ago. It involved visualizing a 3D map on the floor and you could walk through the map and touch stuff on the map. It was cool, but really fucking slow and clunky. Definitely not really for practical use.
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chicknfly t1_j61l6m5 wrote
Have you all ever played a game like Halo or some other arena shooter? Some games have a “hardcore” mode where things like radar/motion sensing are removed. Going from normal modes to hardcore is really difficult, especially when you’re playing a game against seasoned hardcore players.
Having AR is fine and dandy until that thing breaks, fails, falls/is lost, loses battery power, doesn’t pick up sensors, loses GPS, etc. then you very quickly become the new guy in an arena of experienced fighters.
I know real life isn’t the same as a video game, but this scenario is pretty damn realistically relevant. Relying on the extra unnecessary tools reduces your abilities in other perishable skills. Hell, as a crew chief who called out distance estimations to the ground during a landing, not flying for a week or two can destroy your ability to call out distances, especially when flying on NVG’s in low light conditions.
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wdean13 t1_j61mkk3 wrote
my company sent us to test the hololens for troubleshooting remotely. this was five yrs ago--we rejected it as a tool for troubleshooting because it was to dark to see through .I hope the military didn`t spend to much money to figure out what everybody else aready knows
XxHavanaHoneyxX t1_j61r3f2 wrote
Soldiers are probably getting shown commercials for pain killers and life insurance.
Neo_Techni t1_j61rjik wrote
Well, it makes one side's soldiers less lethal. The opposite for the other
anon2282 t1_j624tk1 wrote
You mean to tell me that Microsoft made a shit piece of hardware?
Nooooo....
ultratorrent t1_j6252dj wrote
If Microsoft paid me $100,000 per year to tell them when ideas are fucking stupid, they'd have saved millions in the first year alone 🤷🏼♀️ they ain't humble enough for that tho.
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thisistheSnydercut t1_j62p9ai wrote
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter was dope
black-rhombus t1_j62rktt wrote
Microsoft doesn't seem like a natural fit for military force multiplication development.
SeeIKindOFCare t1_j633dtw wrote
Tech is cool but just slapping together the latest ideas without understanding how humans will take to it is stupid
aphasial t1_j638oeb wrote
HoloLive > HoloLens
Dix9-69 t1_j63efbr wrote
They straight up made LandWarrior from World War Z, of course it’s ass.
Correct_Training1694 t1_j63ikal wrote
Few years when you can see through buildings will be good
bak2redit t1_j63noy4 wrote
I'd have trouble murdering too if I had a porno running in the upper right corner of my view.
SparkFlash98 t1_j63pei4 wrote
AR has insane military potential, but we aren't fully there yet, atm it should be a specialized tool, not standard issue
lite_beer_is_chill t1_j63rnlk wrote
I’m a technophile, but anyone who has gone to the field as a combat arms marine or soldier knows this would be terrible to use.
Hot, stuck to your face, and most importantly: more weight. Anything that adds to the fighting load better be absolutely perfect.
Not mention the equipment overheating, getting wet, needing to have weeks or months of battery life, etc. it just doesn’t seem expeditionary.
airbornecz t1_j63y4qu wrote
sounds very much like meta gadget too
FarArm6506 t1_j63ynmi wrote
Wasn’t this a black mirror episode?
RMZ13 t1_j649dkg wrote
We need to stop trying to make VR happen. As a global civilization. It’s time to move on.
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trer24 t1_j5zix8c wrote
Better to invest in creating T-800s rather than try to put computer screens on human soldiers.
DanceSensitive t1_j5zo72b wrote
That design is cheap ass garbage. It needs to be smaller than Glass to be efficient.
rickert1337 t1_j5zu5f3 wrote
Wearing that is like saying that piece of headgear has more power than your brain.. fukin useless... only thing u need are ur eyes and night goggles
andygon t1_j63dju5 wrote
I wonder how they measured this. Brown kids killed per deployment? Murder vs casualty rates? If it prevents them from being even more murderous in our name, I say make it mandatory.
nexisfan t1_j64rglv wrote
Are you fuckin serious
They really said oh well this tech doesnt make soldiers kill more people guess it’s time to abandon it
What the whole fuck
S0M3D1CK t1_j5zblj5 wrote
If you ask me the only purpose this could serve and actually work is with recon, specifically for artillery and sniper support. This doesn’t seem like something every infantryman should use. I bet you could get the quickest azimuth ever with that thing.
Saeryf t1_j5zz6aj wrote
This, getting instant and accurate information for your shot at a glance would be outstanding.
Deep_Research_3386 t1_j6167eb wrote
Idk if that’s the only purpose; would be great for NCOs and combat officers. But yeah for Forward Observers this would be nuts, way easier to coordinate artillery and air support
Ok-disaster2022 t1_j62vtzz wrote
The first Gen air to air missiles were unreliable resulting in the Top Gun program. Today the air to air missiles are so good, the enemy will still be looking when they lose a wing.
This specific AR program was doomed to fail. Just look at Army procurement the last few decades, and those aren't bleeding edge technologies. Processors and responds times simply aren't fast enough yet, the battery life isn't there yet in a convenient package. However the fact is every game knows how powerful effective hud elements can be to gaining an information advantage. Whether it's integrated target tracking with squad mates and weapon systems, to just seeing things easier. Near peer states are going to have night vision and infrared vision. Soldiers won't be able to use infrared lasers without giving away positioning. A reticle in your hud for your rifle can give significant advantage.
flyingupvotes t1_j62xh20 wrote
Combat AR sounds like it is taking the wrong approach. Use AR plus WI-FI to trace bodies and create IRL wall hacks. You’re welcome.
Pleb scrubs. Pls send check. I’m poor.
MagicalGreenPenguin t1_j5z0ic3 wrote
Pretty dumb-ass idea. Pretty telling about the amount of money in the military industrial complex to try and make tactical AR with this level of tech. Also the dust in Afghanistan would have wrecked this. It killed so many toughbooks while there.
Sullixio t1_j5z919w wrote
Pretty confident this was just a psyop
Upsetcupofoj1230 t1_j5zo942 wrote
I don’t think you know what that word means
Sullixio t1_j5zoer5 wrote
sigh…..
KittenKoder t1_j5ypq9r wrote
Yeah, we wasted a shit load of money on this already. We're a stupid, stupid, stupid country.
morenullstuff t1_j5yunbf wrote
I actually work on these headsets and theyre pretty fucking epic actually. I'm surprised this was the outcome
I'm guessing 99% of people commenting in here have not tried the hololens 2 or the magic leap 2. The magic leap is the exact opposite of their first trash headset.
Just too late I guess
-OQO- t1_j5yxf2d wrote
While I’m sure they’re amazing, they’re just too frick’n expensive. How are people supposed to appreciate something like that?
And what are they supposed to do; play Beat Saber?
They’re amazing for the devs and the clients like aerospace and medical because they’re using bespoke software.
Until there’s a killer app, doesn’t matter how good the hardware is.
kingand4 t1_j604h2d wrote
This is spot on. The trouble is the killer app turns out to be many industrial tasks (warehouse inventory, assembly and disassembly procedures, procedures in general, etc. -- take a look at the recent Vuforia products for more examples), but the form factor, durability, and field of view just aren't good enough for those applications yet.
KittenKoder t1_j5zgq7r wrote
I'm talking about the military. Using one in other fields is probably a great idea, but before investing in military tech they need to first ensure they are useful in a wartime situation and not just a neat tool with far better applications. The problem in a live fire battle is high tech that's used in the field cannot require charging and must be extremely lightweight, soldiers already have to carry very heave weapons and supplies, even a tiny bit of weight can make the difference between life and death.
So given the extra weight and the inaccessibility of a charging method without also increasing weight, they will not find much use of worn tech like this in situations that they would be used. A better investment would be more remote drones and smart weapons that can be used from the safety of a bunker.
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kingand4 t1_j603swd wrote
I've tried them and I disagree with you.
They're fine if you're just playing around, but they're not good for any sort of labor. Just about the only real use I found for them was making a ridiculously large virtual monitor for watching YouTube.
The FOV for the HoloLens 2 was a huge let down -- maybe on paper it looks better than the HoloLens 1, but it's still far too narrow.
The weight is very well balanced, but it's still just a lot of additional weight that gives people headaches.
They're also too bulky to wear in any industrial setting where you have to be careful about head clearance.
Sure, the HoloLens is still an impressive feat of engineering, but it still has a long way to go before it can be used in the industrial applications Microsoft has been marketing it towards.
Upsetcupofoj1230 t1_j5zo5yv wrote
So we should never ever evolve ever?
KittenKoder t1_j605skk wrote
What does that have to do with the price of rice in China?
apexbamboozeler t1_j64161z wrote
Everything
Killjoy911 t1_j5ygpu5 wrote
I feel like this would just be another unnecessary piece of heavy gear to haul around, that needs to be charged and maintained. That’s nearly impossible to do… example: see Iraq/Afghanistan.