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The United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is developing a new tool that incorporates sensors, data, and AI to give elite soldiers an edge in combat. SOFWERX is a prototyping and innovation partnership run by SOCOM in collaboration with DEFENSEWERX, a non profit company, to develop near mind reading capabilities. SOCOM has recently demonstrated how the SOFWERX partnership could allow soldiers to be able to detect invisible biometric signals to sense how their messages are being received to local populations and forces. The system also allows soldiers to mark targets for drone or air strikes via hand gestures.
Last August, SOFWERX researchers have managed to install software on a special glove. With the help of the glove, a test subject was able to manipulate a virtual tactical air control map via subtle movements in the air. The glove picks up small amounts of electricity that come from the brain to trigger muscle movement, this is how the glove understands movements.
In addition to the glove, SOFWERX is also building an “autonomous bio-infused treatment shirt”. The shirt provides biophysical feedback about a soldier’s medical condition on the battlefield. If a soldier wearing the shirt where to get a shot, sensors would send signals to a nearby medic letting him know what the soldier’s vitals are.
The partnership has also tested a “physiological analysis tool” which has been designed to help soldiers understand in real time how foreigners are receiving and interpreting soldier’s messages and operations. The tool works by measuring the foreigner’s heart rate, body temperature and by running a video and voice analysis on the subject. These metrics help give a general measure of how a partner feels about the information given to him. The system looks at micro-expressions to interpret how somebody feels, if he begins to get nervous or uncomfortable during questioning or communication, the system will know.
Defenseone.com reports that the tests and experiments conducted by SOFTWERX are unofficially part of a broader research effort by SOCOM, called the Hyper-Enable Operator Concept. The effort is to develop capabilities for soldiers and commanders in four main areas: human-machine interaction, data, applications, and communications.
SOCOM wants artificial intelligence to assist commanders with better understanding the battlefield. Currently, SOCOM’s AI efforts behave accordingly to the new ethical guidelines for using AI by the Defense Innovation Board.
