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On September 10, officials from 3DIcon met with staff of the US Army Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology to discuss defense applications of 3DIcon’s glasses-free 3D volumetric display technology, and investment needs for development.
Defense staff present included the managers of the Medical R&D portfolio, and Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence (C3I) R&D portfolio. Liaison Officers were also on hand from the Army Research Lab (ARL) and the US Army’s Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC).
The discussion included a broad range of potential applications, including urban environment/battle space visualizations, route access (deployment/extraction), and sensors to predict hostile enemy fire location and direction – all without the need of 3D glasses or headwear.
Staffs present where not aware of any specific Army requirements for 3D data visualization that is a prerequisite for investment, but it was recommended that the Company speak with the Centers of Excellence within the US Army’s Training and Doctrine Command to identify or create a requirement for 3D data visualization. US Army staff also asked the Company to consider how the substrate material required for the display could offer broader military capability and enable investment. The ARL and CERDEC Liaison Officers plan to discuss this opportunity with their respective organizations.
The company was also encouraged to speak to the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT). Established in 1999, ICT is a DoD-sponsored University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) working in collaboration with the US Army Research Laboratory. ICT brings film and game industry artists together with computer and social scientists to study and develop immersive media for military training, health therapies, education and more.
The US Army has a history of investing in data visualization technologies, as it looks for innovative ways to create a versatile, customizable future force.