SEEKING A LOWER PROFILE


Soldier input guides development of next-generation body wearable antennas


by Steve Goodall F


or years, Soldiers have had to balance the need to communicate and the risks required to do so. Soldier communica- tion has improved dramatically over


the years, with smaller man-portable systems and improved signal reception and transmis- sion distances. But in many cases today, Soldiers still require large, protruding whip antennas to receive signals.


Not only do such antennas provide a visual signa- ture with meter-long devices that can compromise a Soldier’s location to adversaries, but there are also risks that the antennas will become entangled and the Soldier will lose mobility.


These hazards are among the reasons that antennas embedded into Soldiers’ armor and helmets may be a game-changer, or better yet, a lifesaver.


HOW ANTENNAS HAVE EVOLVED Such embedded devices, known as body wear- able antennas (BWAs), aren’t a new concept; in fact, an initial prototype developed by the U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineer- ing Command’s Communications-Electronics Research, Development, and Engineering Center (CERDEC) was tested in 2007. The prototype fit into a pouch that contained ceramic armor plates on the front and back of the Soldier and was connected by a small cable that ran over the shoulder. At that time, the Natick Soldier Systems Center conducted an evaluation of 70 to 100 units of this prototype.


While the evaluation proved its effectiveness and enabled Soldiers to transmit and receive signals at adequate distances, it didn’t take on the popularity that we at CERDEC had hoped.


WHIP ANTENNA AT WORK 1LT Austin Cattle, a Platoon Leader with 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, uses his radio with a whip antenna to call in a situation report to his commander during a joint clearance operation with the Afghan Uniformed Police from Police Substation 8 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Feb. 1. (Photo by SGT Seth Barham.)


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Army AL&T Magazine


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