- Reaction score
- 63
- Points
- 530
Ran across this article in my Army Times.
http://www.armytimes.com/issues/stories/0-ARMYPAPER-3044293.php
Periscope, camera give soldiers a sneaky leg up
By Matthew Cox - mcox@militarytimes.com
Posted : October 08, 2007
LONDON — Surveillance equipment for the individual soldier has come a long way since binoculars.
Schott North American has come out with the Wound Fiber Bundle, a kind of flexible periscope that attaches to night-vision devices so soldiers can see what’s waiting for them before they stick their heads into the line of fire.
A 3-foot section of fused fiber optic, the Bundle acts as a continuous lens that works even when bent.
“You can look around the corner, under a door, wherever you want to snake it in,” said Rick Miller, defense division manager for Schott, a large manufacturer of night-vision components. “This is just an idea we felt there was a need for — especially in Iraq.”
Another of the cutting-edge devices that caught military attention at the 2007 Defense Systems & Equipment International Exhibition here was the POV.1 (short for point of view) Integrated Video System.
California-based V.I.O. recently sold 204 of the rugged helmet-mounted cameras to the 2nd Infantry Division in Iraq, said Shawn Cullen, V.I.O.’s vice president for sales and marketing.
Soldiers use the camera to record parts of a patrol and hand it over to the next unit heading out, Cullen said.
“It’s really effective for reconnaissance,” he said.
V.I.O., which began in 2000 as a Web site for posting video footage of action sports, launched product development after Dave Ollila, founder and president, noticed the reactions his makeshift helmet camera got at sporting events, Cullen said.
“He found out a lot more people were interested in his jerry-rigged camera than they were in his Web site,” Cullen said.
The control portion of the camera, about the size of a TV remote control, can be carried in a utility pouch. It is connected by a cable to the lens, is about the size of a roll of quarters and mounts to the helmet with a rail device.
The POV.1 runs on four AA batteries, comes with editing software and can be hooked up to a computer USB port.
It is waterproof to one meter, dustproof and shock-resistant, Cullen said, and can withstand temperatures between minus 40 degrees F and 185 F.
“It’s really designed for tactical users and extreme sports,” Cullen said.
http://www.armytimes.com/issues/stories/0-ARMYPAPER-3044293.php
Periscope, camera give soldiers a sneaky leg up
By Matthew Cox - mcox@militarytimes.com
Posted : October 08, 2007
LONDON — Surveillance equipment for the individual soldier has come a long way since binoculars.
Schott North American has come out with the Wound Fiber Bundle, a kind of flexible periscope that attaches to night-vision devices so soldiers can see what’s waiting for them before they stick their heads into the line of fire.
A 3-foot section of fused fiber optic, the Bundle acts as a continuous lens that works even when bent.
“You can look around the corner, under a door, wherever you want to snake it in,” said Rick Miller, defense division manager for Schott, a large manufacturer of night-vision components. “This is just an idea we felt there was a need for — especially in Iraq.”
Another of the cutting-edge devices that caught military attention at the 2007 Defense Systems & Equipment International Exhibition here was the POV.1 (short for point of view) Integrated Video System.
California-based V.I.O. recently sold 204 of the rugged helmet-mounted cameras to the 2nd Infantry Division in Iraq, said Shawn Cullen, V.I.O.’s vice president for sales and marketing.
Soldiers use the camera to record parts of a patrol and hand it over to the next unit heading out, Cullen said.
“It’s really effective for reconnaissance,” he said.
V.I.O., which began in 2000 as a Web site for posting video footage of action sports, launched product development after Dave Ollila, founder and president, noticed the reactions his makeshift helmet camera got at sporting events, Cullen said.
“He found out a lot more people were interested in his jerry-rigged camera than they were in his Web site,” Cullen said.
The control portion of the camera, about the size of a TV remote control, can be carried in a utility pouch. It is connected by a cable to the lens, is about the size of a roll of quarters and mounts to the helmet with a rail device.
The POV.1 runs on four AA batteries, comes with editing software and can be hooked up to a computer USB port.
It is waterproof to one meter, dustproof and shock-resistant, Cullen said, and can withstand temperatures between minus 40 degrees F and 185 F.
“It’s really designed for tactical users and extreme sports,” Cullen said.
