Physical challenge event during an Army competition in Georgia. (Photo: US Army)
Warfighters from the US Army, Marine Corps (USMC) and Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) recently tested a wearable digital health and human performance software solution to individually measure service members’ health and enable them to improve their performance.
Named Lightning Platform, it is a cyber-secure and custom-built mobile app developed by the Center for Body Computing (CBC) at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT), in partnership with the US Army and the DoD.
It can connect to a variety of body-worn sensors including Apple Watch, glucose monitors and medical-grade wearable devices enabling the platform to detect, record and display real-time and highly accurate measurements of the soldier.
US Army to use virtual reality to train combat medics
How close are the US Armed Forces to having super soldiers within their ranks?
Aging infrastructure is endangering US military’s capacity to innovate
This plug-and-play solution was unveiled in 2022 and can evaluate physiology, metabolism and mental and cognitive status.
An official spokesperson for the USC ICT explained to Shephard that the Lightning Platform has been used by the Center for Body Computing to support several multi-year research studies.
“These [studies] will provide real-time holistic health measurements, including biomarkers detecting acute and chronic brain injury, towards creating a personal health record,” the official noted. “The overarching goal is to reduce and eliminate long-term adverse outcomes and optimise individual health and performance for service members.”
For that matter, the app also provides short-form original videos and other content modules developed by subject matter experts and informed by science-based guidelines.
Some of the areas it covers comprise physical training and recovery; psychological and cognitive fitness; sleep hygiene; metabolic health; and education related to treatment options.
The next phases of this effort will involve adding novel measures and transitioning the platform to the military for broad use in large-scale programmes such as the Army's Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) system.
The H2F is a service’s attempt to empower and equip warfighters to take charge of their health, fitness and well-being to improve their individual performance while also preventing injury or disease.
It represents a shift from a “one-size-fits-all” model to an approach which acknowledges that every soldier is unique and that diverse units have different missions.
The Lightning Platform passed through trials in several units located in California since 2022. At the Comprehensive Operator Readiness Assessment (CORA 2.0), in Fort Bragg, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, Camp Pendleton, it was tested by 200 members of the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne).
Also in Fort Bragg, 15 instructors of 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) assessed the platform during the Special Forces Advanced Reconnaissance, Target Analysis and Exploitation Techniques Course (SFARTAETC).
Moreover, the app was deployed in a study conducted at the Marine Corps Base in Camp Pendleton, which involved 500 warfighters. Meanwhile, at the National Training Center Fort Irwin, it was used to monitor the health of 150 Brigade senior leaders.
Another test with the Lightning Platform was conducted in Hawaii at the Marine Corps Camp H. M. Smith, Oahu. It involved 350 senior service members of the Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC).
The Polaris Government and Defense’s Military RZR (MRZR) Alpha 1KW was displayed at the Modern Day Marine exposition in the US earlier this year and with the Alakran mobile mortar weapon system at DSEI. The company outlined recent firing trials with the Alakran mobile mortar weapon system (MMWS) which was weeks after the company announced a major NATO deal.
The vehicles are based on the latest version of the BvS10 All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and include variants for troop transport, logistics, medical evacuation, recovery, and command and control. An unarmoured version is being delivered to the US and offered to Canada.
Thales launched Storm-H in 2012 as an EW system equipping individual dismounted troops, and a decade later revealed details to develop the improved and more powerful Storm 2.
Drones and military ground vehicles are increasingly being designed to operate together as a single platform or even to convert crewed systems to automated ones.
The acquisition, which is part of the country’s broader defence package worth DKK58 billion (US$9.2 billion), goes against the grain with many other European countries opting for the US’s popular Patriot platform.
The UK’s Land Mobility Programme (LMP) seems set to be delayed once again but industry is jockeying for position to partner in what would be one of the biggest ever buys for the British Army.
Connect with us on socials
