Indra has announced the development of a new augmented reality (AR) system for military vehicles, designed to provide crews with the ability to observe their environment as though the armoured hull were transparent.
The system, which relies on AR glasses, aims to enhance crew situational awareness and response capabilities in operational scenarios.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The technology works by projecting images from the vehicle’s external cameras directly into the wearer’s field of vision using AR goggles, according to the company.
This real-time visual feed can be supplemented with data from the onboard mission management system, delivering a digital overlay that integrates mission-critical information.
Indra stated: “This technology significantly increases situational awareness and helps to improve the crew’s survival in complex scenarios, such as those encountered during operations in urban areas.”
The new approach allows crews to monitor the surroundings simply by turning their gaze, removing the need for traditional observation tools such as periscopes, viewfinders, or internal display screens.
According to Indra, the system delivers a continuously updated 360-degree view. Information from multiple sensors can either be displayed as a single panoramic image or segmented into configurable virtual screens.
This aims to help crews quickly interpret the tactical situation without shifting attention between disparate displays.
The AR interface dynamically adapts the information presented to suit each crew member’s role and the current operational phase.
This role-specific filtering is intended to reduce cognitive load, particularly during periods of fatigue or stress, and facilitate timely decision-making.
Indra described the technology as a “major leap forward in the digitalisation of the combat station,” highlighting its potential applications for future European main battle tank programmes and the ongoing modernisation of legacy armoured vehicles.
The company regards this advancement as part of a broader strategy to transform armoured vehicles into interconnected nodes within a larger networked system, aiming to improve overall effectiveness and operational survivability on the battlefield.
“This technology represents a quantum leap in the digitalisation of the combat post and brings to life Indra’s vision of the armoured vehicle of the future: a connected, intelligent platform centred on the combatant,” the company stated.
