These Tactical Glasses Are Equipped With AI That Can Learn Soldiers' Tactics And Use It Against Them

Infantry squads will soon have an enemy that can adapt quickly to their habits and tactics, meaning the battle will change constantly.

Army modernization officials are expecting Microsoft’s IVAS (Integrated Visual Augmentation System) can make this a reality. This system is set to be deployed in the fourth quarter of 2021.

IVAS will equip close combat units, such as infantry, with sets of tactical glasses. Through this device, soldiers will be able to see key tactical information, like their weapon sight reticle, which is vital in battle.

Apart from that, these tactical glasses can also help soldiers set up a synthetic training environment, meaning they can immerse in an augmented reality training scenario wherever they are.

In a recent Adaptive Squad Architecture industry day, commander of Program Executive Office Soldier, Brig. Gen. Anthony Potts said:

This ability of IVAS sounds exactly like what first-person, high-quality shooter games can offer. However, what makes this system special is the AI and machine learning that control what the avatars, which the soldiers will have to fight against, will do, as stated by Potts.

He also said that the avatars’ AI will learn from what the soldiers did in the last encounter and use that against them. For example, if the team go into a simulated room for the second time thinking that the enemy is still behind the door, he will not. From what he has learned, he will choose a more advantageous position to hide.

In 2018, the Army and Microsoft signed a $480 million contract to make this tech available for close-combat units.

A hands-on evaluation of IVAS has been scheduled for late October by modernization officials, and the program will be called "Soldier Touchpoint 2."

Potts was quite confident with the deployment of IVAS, and he said that they knew they could do anything they wanted with this Integrated Visual Augmentation System.

This half a billion-dollar contract of Microsoft and the Army has faced with lots of opposition from the company's employees. They said that the tactical glasses would turn wars into some sort of video game, which in turn can distance soldiers from the reality of bloodshed.