The Solution

Current Technologies:

There is a technology called Macromedia Breeze Live that helps the reaction time of the army. It provides military captains with access to deliver mission-critical information such as satellite images and terrain maps. It allows for critical information to be shared amongst army commanders, but it must be used on Internet ready PCs. This is the one thing that inhibits the capability of the technology. It was approved by the Joint Interoperability Test Command and is used to allow battalion commanders to log on to a secure conference to receive and give battlefield information as the real-time battle happens. It has been praised as “an easy-to-use collaboration tool that provides units operating either in the garrison or at the point of conflict with a better common operational picture, faster delivery, and intuitive technical interface." -Barry Leffew, vice president of governmental sales at Macromedia.

http://www.military-training-technology.com/article.cfm?DocID=363

Another existing technology in the military is the use of extremely lightweight microphones. Boom microphones help soldiers communicate with one another and command leaders. They serve a vital role in communication and without them; soldiers would lose their ability to contact one another. Microphones may provide the sound that allows them to communicate and will help with the army reaction time when soldiers are injured.

http://techfee.washington.edu/proposals/departments/llc/2006-069?details=1

Three Initial Ideas

1) Soldiers can have helmets with “special” lenses instilled into it that enable the soldier to detect danger in the proximity. These lenses contain heat sensors that are capable of detecting body heat given off by other beings. Thus, these soldiers would be able to fend off danger effectively. Also, these lenses inlcude a microphone that connects them to a military base for maximum safety.

2) The War in Iraq is a major issue in the international community. Soldiers need to be provided with better intelligence and information to help them do their jobs with maximum efficiency and to provide them with safety. Therefore, we would like to install a headphone that connects the soldier to the main base. We would be able to increase response time and to provide them with more safety features.

3) The Chosen Idea: The E-mail to our mentor.

-----Original Message-----

Dear Mr. Eisengrein,

We are proud to finally have a cooperative mentor and we look forward to succeeding in this competition. We have brainstormed a few ideas that involves both the medical and communication fields. The idea that we came up with involves a "wristwatch" that contains a mini computer, camera, gps, the ability to communicate wirelessly in remote places, and the ability to check blood pressure and pulse. This product is designed in particularly for troops currently in combat. We saw a documentary saying how each injured soldier is within 20 minutes away from medical help. However, the problem is communicating in order to receive help ASAP. If a group of soldiers are critically injured, they would not be able to reach their radios and request help. This device would be able to quickly alert for medical attention for soldiers. This device would also be able to detect blood pressure and pulse of the injured soldier. On the other hand, this device can also be used by seniors and the disabled for them to communicate to their physicians. We are currently working to build on this concept and we hope you can give us some feedback. Thank you!

-Jason C, Joel M, Rich L

-----Original Message-----

I love the idea. A couple things to consider:

1- for each feature you add, you add cost, size, weight, heat, etc. Really think about what is important to the application and what is not -- for instance, what is the purpose of the camera?

2- I like the GPS idea. You may enhance that with other wireless (WiFi? WIMAX?) technologies to add functionality (upload/download data to a doctor's office? emergency phone service (automatic 911?)?) and additional location detection. A cutting edge technology that is really getting some traction is something called IMS ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Multimedia_Subsystem), which blurs the line between cellular and WiFi networks. You might consider how this could play a part.

I can help steer you on the technology side.

Let me know when you refine the idea some more.

-Pete

THE RADAR WATCH

The Radar Watch is an innovation in military safety. This watch provides soldiers with comfort and security that they need when they go into combat. The Radar Watch is essential to each and every soldier in combat and it is as important as his/her bulletproof vest. In addition, it will allow injured soldiers to quickly communicate with the command center and request medical attention. With GPS technology, help would arrive quickly and efficiently. This is an essential feature that will reduce casualty rates in the wars oversees. The Radar Watch is solar powered and has a tough titanium shell for durability. Also, the Radar Watch will contain an impact sensor, which will make an automated call to the command center if it detects great impact imposed on the watch; an example of this would be in an explosion. The Mini Web Cam and Speakers allow the medical staff and the injured soldiers to communicate and provide psychological assistance when a soldier is critically injured. The Radar Watch would also contain a personal information bank and a vital stats monitor to assist the medical staff in providing the injured soldier with the best medical care. This information bank may contain information such as allergies to certain medications or specific medical conditions. In order to enable communication, the Radar Watch will use IMS and WiMax technologies. In remote places, the watch will be able to use IMS technology for communication and when there is an available connection, the WiMax technology will be enabled. Overall, the Radar Watch is a necessity for each and every soldier in combat. It is aimed at improving the response time of medical attention administered to injured soldiers. The additional features of this watch will also allow easy communication between commanders and soldiers.

Final Wristwatch Specs:

Titanium Shell: For durability and resistance against elements in combat.
Solar Panels: These panels use solar energy to recharge the battery.
Mini Web Cam and Speakers: For face to face communication between soldiers and medical support staff.
Blood Pressure/Pulse Monitor: For medical staff to properly treat injured soldier.
GPS technology: To quickly alert emergency medical staff of soldier's location for immediate assistance.
WiMax and IMS technology: Communication systems to enable communication.
Impact Sensor: If sensor detects high amounts of resistance, it alerts emergency support immediately.
Computer Software: For basic communication tools and information.
Personal Information Bank: For support staff to quickly attend to any injured soldier. For example, information included may be blood type, allergies, specific medical conditons, soldier and mission identification.

Technologies Associated With Our Solution:

1. WiMax 

1. WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is a wireless industry coalition whose members organized to advance IEEE 802.16 standards for broadband wireless access (BWA) networks. WiMAX 802.16 technology is expected to enable multimedia applications with wireless connections. WiMax also has a range of up to 30 miles, presenting provider networks with a viable wireless last mile solution.
2. WiMAX was formed in April 2001, in preparation for the original 802.16 specification published in December of that year. According to the WiMAX forum, the group's aim is to promote and certify compatibility and interoperability of devices based on the 802.16 specification, and to develop such devices for the marketplace. Members of the organization include Airspan, Alvarion, Analog Devices, Aperto Networks, Ensemble Communications, Fujitsu, Intel, Nokia, OFDM Forum, Proxim, and Wi-LAN.

http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci929334,00.html

2. IMS 

1. The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is a standardized Next Generation Networking (NGN) architecture for telecom operators that want to provide mobile and fixed multimedia services. It uses a Voice-over-IP (VoIP) implementation based on a 3GPP-standardized implementation of SIP, and runs over the standard Internet Protocol (IP). Existing phone systems (both packet-switched and circuit-switched) are supported. The aim of IMS is not only to provide new services but all the services, current and future, that the Internet provides.
2. In this way, IMS will give network operators and service providers the ability to control and charge for each service. In addition, users have to be able to execute all their services when roaming as well as from their home networks. To achieve these goals, IMS uses open standard IP protocols, defined by the IETF. So, a multimedia session between two IMS users, between an IMS user and a user on the Internet, and between two users on the Internet is established using exactly the same protocol. Moreover, the interfaces for service developers are also based on IP protocols. This is why IMS truly merges the Internet with the cellular world; it uses cellular technologies to provide ubiquitous access and Internet technologies to provide appealing services.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Multimedia_Subsystem

3. GPS

1. GPS is funded by and controlled by the U. S. Department of Defense (DOD). While there are many thousands of civil users of GPS worldwide, the system was designed for and is operated by the U. S. military. GPS provides specially coded satellite signals that can be processed in a GPS receiver, enabling the receiver to compute position, velocity and time. Four GPS satellite signals are used to compute positions in three dimensions and the time offset in the receiver clock.
2. The United States Department of Defense developed the system, officially named NAVSTAR GPS (Navigation Signal Timing and Ranging Global Positioning System). The 50th Space Wing manages the satellite constellation. Although the cost of maintaining the system is approximately US$400 million per year, including the replacement of aging satellites, GPS is free for civilian use as a public good.

http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes/gps/gps_f.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS

Feedback and suggestions from Mr. Peter Eisengrein (Technical Mentor):

“IMS is quite complicated but the main things it would bring to your application would be the ability to bridge the disparate components of the application (voice, video, and data) so it acts as one over the network, and it allows users to roam between WiFi and Cellular networks. For instance, if you are within reach of a WiFi connection it will use that network for its connectivity -- the assumption here is that the dedicated bandwidth from that network will be far greater/faster and more reliable than you'd get from the cellular network. However, as you move away from that WiFi connection a hand-off is made to the cellular network and the call (or video or data stream) does not drop. The same happens in reverse as you move from the cellular network into WiFi.”

“Another component you should consider is prioritization of your application's data since it is used as a life-saving device. This is *relatively* simple using existing Quality of Service (QOS) technologies, however, not all networks will honor the QOS settings coming from an unknown source.”

Mr. Eisengrein strongly believes in our solution, although difficult,  may serve as an effective solution to our problem.