Hand-held Computer for Foot Soldiers Takes aim at Future Battlefields

August 1, 1994 — G.I.s may soon have a new weapon in their arsenal — combat-ready, hand- held PCs that could bring high-tech capabilities to future battlefields.

Texas Microsystems, Inc., a manufacturer of rugged and fault-tolerant personal computers, announced today it has de-livered working prototypes of a hand-held “Soldier’s Computer” to the U.S. Army. The computer, named “The Grunt” by its developers, was designed and built by Texas Micro under an Army contract.

The new computer is one element in an ambitious long-range plan by the Army to equip soldiers with state-of-the-art computing and communications capabilities for the battlefields of the 21st century. The Army currently is testing the prototypes to identify possible field applications for the machines.

“Technology is poised to transform warfare for foot soldiers as it already has for fighter pilots,” said Texas Micro President, Michael Stewart. “New technology will help our troops stay better informed at critical moments on the battle-field, providing a major strategic advantage over enemy personnel, and reducing the confusion that can lead to casual-ties from friendly-fire.”

The Grunt weighs less than 3.5 pounds, has an SL-enhanced Intel 486 SX processor, utilizes a new low-power 486 chipset from Pico Power and runs for up to eight hours on rechargeable batteries. The machine features a six-inch- diagonal Sharp Electronics VGA monochrome liquid crystal display and works with a touch-screen from MicroTouch Systems. Users operate the machine, which runs the Microsoft Windows for Pen Computing operating system, with the touch of a finger or special pen.

Two PCMCIA slots (one type II and one type III) are included to accommodate PCMCIA-compatible disk storage, a global positioning system (GPS) card, fax/modem card or other option cards.

The machines also have industry-standard external interfaces, allowing third-party products such as monitors and “heads-up” displays and external input devices like keyboards and data gloves to be integrated into the system. Heads-up displays, including helmet-mounted devices now being developed under separate Army contracts, project virtual images in front of the wearer. Data gloves let users operate the computer using simple hand and finger movements.

Future plans for The Grunt call for integration of voice-command technology for true hands-free interaction with the machine.

The Grunt and other devices like it are expected to be deployed for a wide range of applications later in this decade and into the 21st century. Ultimately, Army officials expect ever-smaller, pocket-size PCs will be used to site weapons, pinpoint battlefield positions and dramatically improve communications in the field. They also will be used for equipment diagnostics and maintenance, for on-the-spot training via radio link and for a variety of other applications.

Prototypes of The Grunt were developed by Texas Micro for the Army’s Communications & Electronics Command (CECOM) under a $500,000 contract provided through the U.S. Defense Department’s Small Business Innovation Re-search (SBIR) Program. To qualify for funding under the SBIR program, projects must demonstrate commercial promise, as well as military application potential.

Texas Micro is exploring commercial applications for The Grunt that address areas such as field data collection, auto-mobile and aircraft maintenance, police and fire protection and other public safety functions, regular and emergency medical services, manufacturing process control and securities trading.

The company also plans to build a network of resellers that specialize in the key commercial market areas where The Grunt has potential.

Founded in 1975, Texas Microsystems manufactures “business-critical” microcomputers for commercial and industrial applications. In addition to complete systems, Texas Micro produces a full line of microcomputer function cards and components, as well as SPARC-based systems for a variety of telecommunications applications. The company is head-quartered at 5959 Corporate Drive, Houston, Texas 77036. Tel: 1-800-627- 8700.

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