Testing Wearable Technology to Keep Soldiers Safer

Using commercialized sensors that target specific regions on the body, engineers from the University of Michigan are creating algorithms that can help the military test how a soldier's body reacts under pressure and stamina exertion. Funded primarily by the U.S. military, Steven Davidson, a doctoral student at the School of Kinesiology, and his team are two years into the project. The hope is that every field soldier will be monitored and, if showing distinct and clarified signs of stress, can be temporarily pulled out of a 'hot zone' until their signs show improvement - all done in real time on a digital device like a tablet. Davidson also hopes the project will lead to software development that can allow even a high school football coach without an engineering degree access to interpret what is going on with his players.