Automated Battlefield: “Dragon Egg” Helps Troops Safely Identify Civilians

Under testing in Afghanistan, the Land Warrior system consists of hundreds of wearable backpack computers that are doled out to team leaders and vehicle commanders. The Dragon Egg is a softball-size, 360-degree-view robotic camera that can be tossed over walls like a peace grenade. The bottom-heavy camera rights itself and gives troops a view of who’s inside through four individual cameras–if civilians are present, the area is logged into the computer and airstrikes are averted. The new technology is designed to lower civilian casualties while allowing troops to assess the situation from a distance, rather than putting themselves at risk by entering possible hostile territory. Other components of the system include a viewfinder that provides the team leader with an aerial map of the area complete with icons for civilian and hostile locations, and a thumb keyboard for entering in updated information. Updates are spread to other users via satellite and radio so that every other team leader has instant access to the data. While there are still some kinks to work out, the system offers great potential for limiting civilian casualties and quelling public unrest. [via Yahoo Tech and Switched]