A wearable body antenna that can broadcast directly from soldiers' uniforms could give troops an advantage in the battlefield and be used by emergency workers in dangerous conditions, the designers behind it have said.
BAE Systems has created light-weight antenna wires, woven into the fibre of the gear, which can transmit voice, video data (from a helmet-mounted camera) and GPS location.
The design does away with long, protruding aerials which can snag or mark out key communicators as potential targets.
Jon Pinto, Antennas and Electromagnetics Group Leader from BAE Systems Advanced Technology Centre said: "Frontline soldiers carry a huge amount of weight when on patrol. Research into body wearable antennas has shown we could reduce this burden and in the future give forces improved communication capabilities and a significant advantage on the battlefield".
The company say agility will be improved, and that it will work regardless of the position of the wearer. Conventional whip-antennae can be compromised if the wearer lies down, and the short antenna on a portable radio can be masked by the user's body.
Giles Ebbutt, Consultant Editor at Jane's C4I Systems said: "If this is as efficient as the existing aerials, the this product is a great advantage and a reduction in weight is always a benefit. Reducing the number of aerials that stick out is one of the most important advantages, as two or more aerials can mark someone out as an important target."
The new self-broadcasting uniform may have its downside. "The drawback would seem to be if it goes wrong or gets damaged. Currently you can replace an individual aerial, and it only affects that piece of equipment. But if you have one combination aerial woven into your uniform and it goes wrong you lose all your aerials in one go and you have to get a replacement uniform to become effective again," said Ebbutt.
Ebbutt says that some features of the BAE Systems design, such as broadcasting from the head-cam, are already available in other single soldier systems.
The designers believe the concept could be used by those in other hazardous occupations, such as fire-fighters for use during search and rescue, police patrol and the mining, oil and gas industries.