Phase II Amount
$1,461,103
Todays Warfighter often carries an inordinate load that can lead to injuries and encumbered performance. Equipment is distributed among squad members with little, if any regard for differences in strength and anthropometry. Consequently, the current focus on human-centric design requires a modeling and simulation tool that can reduce the load Warfighters carry and can help distribute equipment among squad member more efficiently. This, in turn, increases effectiveness, saves money, saves time, and saves lives. Viz-Tek and The University of Iowas Virtual Soldier Research (VSR) Program have experience and expertise tailored to providing precisely this kind of tool. The proposed research will leverage VSRs long standing partnerships with the U.S. military and industries, and will center around SantosTM, which is a complete, high fidelity, autonomous digital human who predicts posture, motion, strength, muscle fatigue, physiological indices, and more. Phase II of this work will provide professional easy-to-use software with three primary functions: equipment distribution, equipment simulation, and Warfighter (human) simulation. The proposed research and development is based on these goals and involves five main components: 1) squad optimization, which includes the automatic selection of equipment for a mission, and the automatic distribution of equipment among individual squad members, 2) motion prediction, which involves simulating motion of an individual squad member, 3) equipment simulation, which predicts how various pieces of equipment interact with the human body and with other pieces of equipment, 4) integration of the squad optimization component, the human modeling component, and the equipment modeling component, and 5) development of an intuitive interface appropriate for field use as well as lab use. The final product will be used in a lab on a PC as well as in the field on a hand held device.
Benefit: Ultimately, the results of this work will combine approaches for dynamic motion prediction and optimal distribution of equipment among members of a squad, to yield a unique simulation tool for reducing the load on a Warfighter, thus enhancing the efficiency with which any task or mission can be completed. This work will not simply yield research results. It will provide a finished professional product that will be functional and easy-to-use. It will not only distribute equipment based on the strengths of different individuals, but will actually highlight which pieces of equipment are most restrictive. A user will be able to specify various scenarios and parameters, and then see the results of altered input in terms of analysis data (joint torque, muscle force, etc.) and in terms of visible whole-body human simulation. In fact, a major advantage of the proposed technologies will be the ability to see cause-and-effect relationships as one experiment with different designs and case studies. A user will be able to determine automatically how equipment that is necessary for a particular mission should be distributed among squad members with varying capabilities and characteristics. Then, various tasks can be simulated using dynamic motion prediction, which allows one to see how performance changes with alterations in problem parameters, and even identify potential injuries. Motion prediction capabilities will be coupled with dynamic equipment models, so the user can see how pieces of equipment interact with the Warfighter during motion. The proposed virtual toolkit will greatly benefit the military by providing a test bed for evaluating new equipment and systems, by shortening the costly and time-consuming process of prototype development and field testing, and by providing a tool for planning critical missions. The toolkit will dramatically improve the ability to deliver high quality, optimally functioning equipment to operational forces in a timely manner. In addition, it will provide a method for the dismounted infantryman and mission planners to predict mission effectiveness based upon specific equipment choices and mission objectives. Although this effort will leverage military funding and extensive success with human modeling and simulation, it will provide dual use results. The proposed capabilities have potential scientific and applied impact that reaches far beyond the initial proposed use. VSRs focus on balancing research with product development ensures the development of cutting-edge technology that can immediately be used to solve real world problems. Along these lines, each of the proposed modules represents a powerful tool. First, an intuitive and easy-to-use utility for distributing equipment clearly has its applications throughout the Department of Defense, but can also be used anywhere distribution of equipment needs to be optimized, including hospitals, manufacturing scenarios, search and rescue teams, etc. The further development of predictive dynamics helps to fuel a new and unique approach to dynamics that provides not only a useful tool but also a substantial contribution to science and to the field of dynamics. Predictive dynamics is the next step in dynamic analysis and simulation. Then, to couple predictive dynamics with multi-body dynamics promises to yield a potent contribution to the field of modeling and simulation. A software package that can conduct forward dynamics, inverse dynamics, or predictive dynamics (both forward and inverse dynamics simultaneously) extends the capabilities of current dynamics tools substantially. The product developed with this effort will have a broad market and will solve a variety of problems. The commercialization potential for the proposed work is extremely high, with the delivery of a dual-use product that will simulate the interaction between equipment and human performance, with regard to the individual as well as the group. As this work heavily leverages research and development momentum with the U.S. military and with various industry partners, there is a proven and distinct demand for the kinds of capabilities that will be provided. This demand spans a variety of markets including military, aerospace, automotive, etc.
Keywords: Human Performance, Motion Prediction, dynamics, Optimization, equipment, Modeling and Simulation, Human System Integration, Warfighter
