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ANTS Seminar: Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Physiologic Monitoring of Warfighters: Present and
Future.
COL Beau Freund
U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine
Modern dismounted Soldiers commonly engage in intense, mentally and physically demanding three-to-10 day missions, often in rugged terrain or complex urban settings with a wide degree of environmental conditions. These warriors carry heavy loads (35 to 65 kg) and are often food and sleep-restricted. Commanders and medics also have demanding roles. The medic has the care of ten or more warfighters, while the commander must make rapid decisions while understanding the state and readiness of his unit. Wearable health monitoring physiological sensors can provide real time situational awareness to the soldier, commander and medic. Key to this system is reliable sensor information, the algorithms and displays that provide the information to the users. For the first time ever, the U.S. Army has a prototype system that will monitor physiological signals from the soldier and integrate this sensor data through algorithms to predict health status. This Warfighter Physiological Status Monitor-Initial Capability (WPSM-IC) system is comprised of a medical hub that hosts a personal area network of physiologic and medical sensors (heart rate, respiration, skin and core temperature, body motion, acoustic/impact, sleep history, fluid intake) and algorithms. The algorithms estimate thermal, hydration, cognitive, life signs, and wounding status from the sensors distributed around a soldierís body, uniform and equipment and from other models, databases, and contextual information (e.g., location, weather, mission, individual data). This physiological monitoring capability lays the groundwork for data collection for further refinements of algorithms, as well as testing a wide range of potential useful applications. Further research with this system will expand understanding of limits on human tolerance. Applications may include safety monitoring in hazardous conditions, training to learn and teach soldier limits, closed loop systems for control of equipment (e.g., microclimate cooling, exoskeleton, information displays), and as sentinel soldier surveillance systems. This presentation details the uniqueness of the WPSM-IC system and the critical role in getting the right information to the warfighter, medic, and commander, at the right time, to save lives and reduce casualties. Discussion will include challenges, gaps and future directions.
All seminars take place at 500 Technology Square (MIT
Building NE47), First Floor Seminar Room. Any member of
the MIT or Army communities is welcome to attend. For more
information, write to isn@mit.edu.
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