[infowar.de] Computer zum Anziehen bei US-Truppen in Afghanistan

[Ralf Bendrath <bendrath -! - zedat - fu-berlin - de>]

Infowar.de, http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~bendrath/liste.html
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http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=26342
World Net Daily, 6.2.2002

Troops in Afghanistan wearing computers
Pentagon outfitting soldiers with high-tech gear to aid in repairs

By Paul Sperry

WASHINGTON ? Sure, the discovery of laptops in the cave hideouts of
Afghanistan-based terrorists signaled the enemy is perhaps more
high-tech than first thought. 

But American soldiers aren't just carrying computers in the field in
Afghanistan. Some are wearing them, says the contractor that recently
sold the Pentagon the state-of-the-art equipment. 

The wireless units, made by Xybernaut Corp., allow Army mechanics and
inventory specialists hands-free access to data in the field. 

Using a mike and voice-recognition software, they can call out for data
or relay them back to central command. They can view data through a tiny
eye screen attached by headgear and linked to a computer strapped to
their belt. 

Fairfax, Va.-based Xybernaut shipped more than 40 of its Mobile
Assistants to the Defense Department about a year ago, says Ray Inasaka,
a company vice president. Some of the wearable computers, which cost
about $10,000 each, are being used in Afghanistan. 

"They are for maintenance, repair and support of soldiers in the field,"
he said in an interview with WorldNetDaily. 

The PCs are fully functional, with 500-MHz Intel Celeron processors, 128
megabytes of RAM and 2-gigabyte hard drives. They use Texas Instruments
digital signal processors, or DSPs. With speech-recognition software,
DSPs let computers understand a person's spoken words with 99-percent
accuracy. 

The units also come with velcro-strapped keyboards. 

Though a Pentagon spokesman could not confirm the wearable computers
have been deployed in the Afghanistan theater, one official said the
Army is using them there, primarily for military repairs. 

Mechanics can crawl under a disabled vehicle in the field, untethered
from desks, and access workshop manuals online, Inasaka explains. 

Combat application is not far away. The Pentagon, which has determined
that mobile computing will provide the edge in future ground warfare,
plans to use wearable computers in battle as part of its Land Warrior
experiment. 

In the near future, soldiers will be able to fight using satellite
imagery of the battlefield. Gun-mounted cameras and video sights, in
addition, will allow them to shoot from foxholes or from around corners
without exposing themselves to enemy fire. 

Paul Sperry is Washington bureau chief for WorldNetDaily.

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