A wireless conductive fabric that allows soldiers to plug electronic devices directly into armour was showcased at the recent Land Forces exhibition in Adelaide.
BAE Systems has developed the Broadsword Spine garment, which is being distributed throughout the Asia Pacific region by its Australian arm.
It was designed using a unique e-textile created by Intelligent Textiles Limited in the UK and can be inserted inside vests, jackets or belts.
BAE Systems’ wireless connector promises a range of benefits for multiple professions including the emergency services.
Program manager David Wilson said the technology was extremely lightweight and was able to pass power from any source, which made it adaptable to an assortment of devices.
“It’s revolutionary in terms of how it can pass power and data through USB 2.0,” he said. “It reduces the weight and cognitive burden of the soldier because it is doing a lot of power and data management automatically."
Wilson added that it has no cables, which removed the snag hazard and potential issues of broken cables needing replacement.
Broadsword Spine has been designed to replace contemporary heavy portable data and power supplies used by the military as well as firefighters, paramedics and rescue personnel. The lack of cables and additional batteries make the new material 40 per cent lighter than other systems.
The e-textile was also developed to withstand harsh environments and is water, humidity, fire and shock resistant. The material uses highly developed yarns that act as the electricity and data conductor. It is able to connect to a central power source to support all electronic devices and is easily recharged in the field using simple batteries or in-vehicle charging points.
There are eight protected data or power ports that are capable of supplying 5A and operate at USB 2.0 speeds. The management of power and data is automated and is performed by a computer that is embedded into the e-textile loom. Users also have the option of monitoring and controlling the technology manually using a smartphone app.
Wilson said contemporary models were often heavy could be highly complicated products that required special maintenance.
“It’s unique in that regard in that we don’t sell the whole system, we sell the middle architecture and allow the customer to decide what they want and how to integrate that system,” he said.
“We’ve published the pin-outs and connections so they can create their own integration cables. They don’t have to keep coming back to us and that way they can support it themselves.”
Low rate production of the Broadsword Spine has begun in the UK and Wilson said when production increased, the company would work to distribute the product to the Asia-Pacific region from its Adelaide base next year.