Our team was awarded the SBIR Phase II for SAFEDROP (Smart Augmented Field Equipment for Deployment and Rigging Operations Platform) for the US Army. SAFEDROP is a mixed reality (MR) and computer vision (CV) system designed to enable non-expert Army Soldiers to rig equipment, specifically the M1301 Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV), and cargo for aerial delivery, reducing reliance on specialized parachute riggers. The system builds on the ThirdEye application platform and tailors it to meet the Army’s requirements for cargo rigging.
SAFEDROP will provide step-by-step AR guidance, error-checking, and remote expert support to ensure safe and effective rigging of equipment. The system will include turnkey hardware and software solutions to impact rigging operations on day 1. The hardware will include an On-Prem Server (OPS) with a local Wi-Fi network router for the Content Management System (CMS) and data storage and transfer, Tracker Anchor Point (TAP) Markers for optional precise equipment tracking and localization when the computer vision detection is not feasible, and MR headsets that serve as the primary interface for both rigging experts creating Expert Rigging Content (ERC) and non-Expert Soldiers following the ERC content.
