Technology
The Military's Wireless Future
Keeping soldiers both mobile and connected
poses special challenges to the military.
By Trace Gunsch
Wireless communications are impacting all areas of the U.S. military,
from logistics and training to collaboration and medical support.
In military offices, wireless communications keep people mobile, with
continual access to information anywhere, anytime. Laptop computer users attending
meetings and conferences now maintain instant access to data files and Internet searching
so they can obtain immediate answers to questions raised. Outside the office, mobility
increases productivity by allowing users to work in previously unproductive situations,
such as while traveling or waiting for appointments.
On the downside, users can find themselves continually distracted by
that same access, often answering e-mails or doing other tasks and not focusing completely
on the meeting at hand. These two effects greatly change meeting dynamics, and not
necessarily for the better. Imagine military commanders constantly in contact with their
staffs through wireless e-mail devices: They may reach information overload and risk
making poor decisions because they can't devote their full attention to the topic at hand.
The Wireless Medic
Wireless technologies are transforming health-care services. Wearable computers and
sensors, embedded in clothing or strapped directly to the body, will allow continuous
monitoring of patients and instant feedback to medical personnel from warfighters in
battle.
In the not-too-distant future, nanobots--miniature robotic devices--will
be able to travel throughout the body, in the bloodstream, or other channels, and will
receive commands and transmit data wirelessly. Nanobots would provide continual data on
blood cell counts, oxygen content, blood pressure, pulse, etc. Medical professionals can
monitor the data in real time to discover unusual events such as strokes, heart attacks,
and physical injuries.
Nanobots could also be instructed to hunt specific bacteria, cancerous
cells, or the like, and provide exact location information to a medic. Researchers at
MIT's Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies for the Objective Force Warrior Program are
developing nanobots as drug-delivery devices. These would transport specific drugs
directly to affected tissue or perform precision elimination of damaged cells. Nanobots
could also detect a soldier's injury and either cauterize the wound or act as a
tourniquet. Such nanobots could remain in the bloodstream, constantly monitoring a
warfighter's health, and waiting for additional instructions, delivered wirelessly.
The prospect of nanobots roaming around in the warfighter's bloodstream
raises both physical and ethical concerns. If wireless capability is added, security also
becomes a major concern. Nanobots must have safeguards to prevent an enemy hacker
disabling the warfighter through false data, or worse, through attacking healthy cells.
Wireless in the medical field can also improve telemedicine and remote
consultation. Already, telecommunications is enabling medical specialists to consult on
cases around the world using video teleconferencing software. Wireless communications
extends these capabilities to the soldier in a foxhole, allowing medical experts to be
many "places" at once, advising medics and monitoring patients through a variety
of sensors.
Wireless in Education and Training
Traditional educators view the Internet as a boon but see wireless communication as a
bane. Cell phones, pagers, and palm devices often distract students and are sometimes used
for cheating, so teachers ban them from classrooms. However, wireless devices can greatly
enhance learning when used outside of the traditional classroom. They can provide
communications and research enhancements for field trips and laboratory work, and they
give more options for students taking distance learning courses and computer-based
training.
Military schools are building wireless capabilities in dormitory common
areas and between buildings so students can continue to work productively outside the
confines of their rooms. Wireless communication also allows after-hours network access to
libraries and research materials and enables students to collaborate with others in study
groups that cannot all fit in a dorm room.
The Wireless Battlefield
Wireless has been a staple of tactical communications for decades, so the impact of growth
in wireless communications will not change the way the military operates in the tactical
environment. Instead, the impact consists of the myriad technical problems the military
must solve before expanding the use of wireless in the tactical world.
The most obvious challenge for the battlefield is sheer capacity. The
military's appetite for wireless bandwidth is never satisfied, with sensors and
data-acquiring devices competing with warfighter communications for airtime in an effort
to provide decision makers the most complete operational picture and enable the
net-centric warfare concept.
Interference is an even tougher challenge than bandwidth because tall
towers--which in the commercial world provide line of sight over hilltops, trees, and
buildings--are risky to erect on the battlefield. Communications jamming is another
problem that most commercial users do not have to overcome. Emissions are also a concern,
where any source of radio wave signals represents a potential target to the enemy--the
more emissions, the more valuable the target. These are the areas where the military needs
to focus its research efforts, preferably finding ways to adapt commercial products for
military use, but creating military-unique solutions if adaptation is not possible.
Recommendations for the Wireless Military
The growth of wireless capabilities is sending great ripples of impact across society, but
the military faces unique challenges. The recommended strategy for the wireless military
is three-pronged:
First, the military needs to recognize the social changes that wireless
brings and adapt to make the best use of them. In training efforts, instructors should
seek methods of incorporating wireless capabilities into their courses, enabling
out-of-classroom training, field trips, study groups, etc. Military personnel also need to
recognize the negative effects of wireless and adapt to those as well, especially the risk
of information overload and competition for attention, and the ethical and security
concerns of wireless medical uses.
Second, military managers need to look at their programs with fresh eyes
to see where wireless innovations can enhance capabilities. For example, the Phrasealator,
developed by Applied Data Systems, provides limited translation capability for warfighters
in foreign lands and could be greatly enhanced with a wireless capability. Not only would
wireless communication allow the handheld device access to ever-improving language
databases, but those databases could also contain multiple languages, giving the
Phrasealator far more capability than the current pop-in modules. Further, wireless
communication could allow a warfighter to request translation services from a remote
military translator, in real time or delayed, as the case warrants.
Third, the military's limited research and development resources need to
focus on areas where the military's needs differ substantially from industry's, such as
emissions prevention, jamming, etc. In other areas, where industry has a similar focus,
such as bandwidth growth, medical, and security, the military needs to take more of an
advisory role, encouraging and assisting development from the sidelines.
About the Author
Trace Gunsch is a critical skills expert for emerging technology at the
Technology Integration Center. His e-mail address is trace.gunsch@us.army.mil.
For further information, see: Massachusetts Institute of Technology's
Institute for Soldier Nanotechnology (Web site web.mit.edu/isn/aboutisn) and Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency (Web site www.darpa.mil).
