The US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division has demonstrated the use of augmented reality (AR) for training, diagnosing, and troubleshooting military equipment.
In collaboration with commercial and government agencies, the service performed maintenance and trained on several military systems, including a mortar firing system.
US Army Capt. Benjamin Mcfarlin admitted that he had no prior experience with the mortar system but that it was easy for him to use the equipment with the help of an AR headset.
He noted that the headset displayed a user’s manual and instructional videos, familiarizing him with the platform.
“It’s pretty shocking at first, but it was actually very easy to operate,” he explained. “I think that augmented reality technology can have a pretty profound, positive impact on the military.”
Meanwhile, US Army Lt. Col. Michael Hefti said that the infantry’s move to adopt AR is part of its goal to become the most modern armored division in the army.
“Augmented reality allows you to actually see the real piece of equipment you’re working on and it overlays on top of an image to help you fix those things faster,” Hefti stated.
