Army researchers have been experimenting with intelligent helmets that can help prevent the kinds of head trauma and hearing loss that have become the signature injuries of soldiers. The new helmets could also make communication and situational awareness easier.
Imagine a helmet that improves situational awareness for SWAT teams storming a building or warns a soldier of the severity of a concussion. Such innovations pave the way for a better military helmet that can significantly change combat and law enforcement operations.
Ballistic Protection
As the military adapts to new battlefield threats, so do the helmets that protect service members. Advanced materials like carbide ceramics help to protect against the grazing shots of AK-47s and other rifle threats.
Enhanced combat helmets are lighter than older models but offer significantly more protection.
Lightweight
The new helmet significantly improved over the PASGT, MICH, and the ACH (now replaced with the ECH). The new headgear is lighter and provides better protection against rifle bullets and blunt impact.
This includes fragment performance, where the helmet should stop all projectiles at a minimum velocity. It also includes blast over-pressure testing and element testing.
In contrast to many industries, the US military uses performance specifications rather than design specifications to assess a helmet’s adequacy.
Communication
Soldiers put their lives on the line for our country. They deserve protective equipment that reflects the innovativeness and curiosity of our best engineers and scientists.
Thermal Imaging
The Enhanced Combat Helmet (ECH) exploits advances in lightweight material technology. It offers protection beyond current fielded small arms and fragmentation helmets while reducing weight.
Military thermal imaging applications include target detection, discrimination, and acquisition in low- or zero-light conditions.
Night Vision
In any armed conflict, assessing one’s and the enemy’s losses requires a clear vision. This is especially true in night operations or poor daytime conditions.
A new generation of image-intensifying NVDs amplify light to create high-definition images. The result allows sentries to discern friends from foes, civilian or not.
But despite the advantages of night vision, Army doctrine needs to focus more on using this technology against peer adversaries. That’s a problem the ECH seeks to address.
Spatial Awareness
Spatial awareness is a complex cognitive skill that allows us to know where our body is in space and how much room there is around it. One example of spatial awareness is a baby learning to stretch its arm across a room to reach a toy—its brain constantly sends feedback about how far the muscles must stretch to move.
Concussion Management
As Army researchers improve helmet ballistic protection, they also aim to prevent traumatic brain injuries. TBIs have emerged as the signature wound of the War on Terror, often resulting in long-term mental and physical problems for service members.
Mobility
The next generation of combat helmets aims to turn soldiers into what the Indian Army calls “self-contained fighting machines.” Researchers are working on spatial awareness capabilities like thermal imaging and night vision in a heads-up display. They’re also adding geotagging technology that helps soldiers quickly identify vehicles and other people in the field.
The newest military helmets offer advanced ballistic and blunt protection at a lighter weight. They also pass first-article tests under new DOT&E protocols. These new technologies can reduce head trauma and speed up concussion diagnosis.
