The soldier's Computer has become a highly visible and very important program for the Army. While it is in the earlystages of concept and development, demand for early incremental availability of basic capabilities has emerged. The ultimateSoldier's Computer will manifest itself in several different configurations. The most visible concept of the Soldier's Computeris that of the infantry small unit leader in battle, enhancing his command and control, communications, and decision making capabilities, other concepts include use by a maintenance technician to maintain sophisticated systems; use for a logistics field inventory and equipment allocation, or for in the refresher training. While the basic elements of the Soldier's Computer foreach application may be similar, the basic input/output and display device requirements may vary widely. Texas Microsystems, Inc., proposes to develop an early configuration of a Modular Soldier's Computer (MSC) under Phase II of the SBIR Program. This effort is an extension of Texas Micro's ongoing work to develop similar capabilities for commercial clients. This early MSC will be small (pocket-sized), lightweight, rugged, powerful, and have an advanced user interface within the technology constraints of 1992/1993. This early MSC will be based upon an architecture which allows the addition of several optional capability extensions, allows testing of various input/output devices, and most importantly, provides a direct evolutionary path to the achievement of the ultimate Soldier's Computer configuration in the 1998 time frame.
