Standing up to Abuse
Written by Peter Buxbaum
SOTECH 2011 Volume: 9 Issue: 4 (June)
The United States military, and special operations forces among them, takes sophisticated technology into the field for tactical communications and for connections to weapons systems and battle networks. This phenomenon exposes this equipment to combat conditions as well as to the climatic and geographic vicissitudes—such as cold, heat, dust and storms—in various areas of operations.
That means that the equipment forces carry must be able to withstand these conditions. Handheld and laptop computers, as well as other equipment carried by forces on operations, need to be ruggedized in order to function in extreme conditions.
How are computers ruggedized? Most ruggedized products have a number of features in common that distinguish them from their commercial counterparts. The housing of the computer is usually an advanced plastic or metallic product. The hinges are soldered in a more secure fashion. Various components such as the keyboards, ports, and screens are sealed or protected in various ways to prevent encroachment of water and dirt. Rugged laptops usually have hardened, removable hard drives. Cooling systems differ from the fans commercial laptops are equipped with in order to save on power and reduce the number of moving parts. Equipment meant to be used in extremely cold environments is also equipped with heating systems.
The United States Military Standard referred to as MIL-STD-810, approved for use by all departments and agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense, emphasizes tailoring equipment’s environmental design and test limits to the conditions that it will experience throughout its service life.
The standard also establishes various test methods that replicate the effects of environments on the equipment, allowing manufacturers to harden their equipment against cold, heat, moisture, dust, ballistic threats and other factors. Another key factor is the computer’s ability to withstand being dropped. This is the benchmark document against which manufacturers of rigged computers and other equipment design and test their products. The latest version, MIL-STD-810G, was released in 2008.
Another important measure of ruggedness is a numerical score on ingress protection—that is, the ability of the device to prevent the invasion of dirt, water and the like—and is referred to as IP. The higher the score, the better the mobile rugged computer is sealed against the elements.
“Different companies ruggedize their products in different ways,” said Mark Mistretta, chief operating officer of Glacier Computer. “We do it from the board out. We mount quality components on the board and seal those components to the board so that they can withstand the vibration levels they will encounter.”
The ruggedization process at General Dynamics Itronix also starts with the board, according to Patrick White, the company’s vice president for strategic marketing. “We make sure the board is designed to withstand the twists and turns of a military environment,” he said. “Sockets on the board are more rugged than in a commercial grade cell phone or laptop.”
The housing Itronix utilizes is a polycarbonate blend. “We feel that provides the best weight to cost to performance ratio,” said White. “Chassis doors are machine tooled out of magnesium.” Touchscreens on Itronix products are also tougher than their commercial counterparts and are able to respond to the touch of a gloved hand.
“Our enclosures are typically made of machined aluminum,” said Steve Effertz, director of engineering at L-3 Ruggedized Command & Control Solutions (RCCS). “To be able to withstand immersion, we provide better gasketing and take more care with the interface between metal and what is behind it.”
At VT Miltope, key components are strengthened and fortified to withstand the effects of extreme temperature, humidity, shock and vibration, according to Julie Briggs, vice president for rugged systems program development at the company. “The product, including the enclosure, is designed to survive the environmental and electromagnetic interference needs required by the user,” she said. “A myriad of lighter and stronger materials are used in addition to proprietary ruggedization techniques. Through the use of predicative computer aided design tools and modeling programs, various design elements, such as thermal engineering, are optimized.”
“Our tactical use products have scratch resistant covers, magnesium alloyed casing and sealed hinges,” said Tim Collins, director for federal, defense and intelligence at Panasonic Solutions Co. “The port covers are made dust and water resistant by requiring a two-way hand motion to open them so they won’t come open accidentally. Our products also feature sealed removable hard drives. For wireless capabilities, all antennas are internal to prevent breakage.”
General Dynamics Itronix offers two fully ruggedized products suitable to the rigors of special operations: the GD300 handheld computer and the GD8000 notebook. The GD300 is a wearable computer that can be fastened to the arm or chest and weighs less than eight ounces. Enabling global positioning and communications technology, the unit can operate like an ultra-sensitive commercial GPS unit and also has a connection port that allows it to interface with tactical radios for secure access to the network.
With the Android operating system, the GD300 accommodates current and emerging applications for warfighters and is capable of running tactical maps, geo-positioning, and TIGR, the Tactical Ground Reporting system. First fielded by the Army in 2007, TIGR allows soldiers to collect and share information to improve situational awareness.
“The GD300 meets the standards of 810G requirements for being able to operate in the most extreme environments,” said White. “It has been subjected to extreme hot and cold temperatures, driving rain storms, and shock. It has also been designed to be easily readable in bright daylight and nighttime conditions.”
The GD8000 also was designed to meet or exceed the military rugged requirements of MIL-STD 810G with features such as a water-tight case, a shock mounted display and the capability to withstand four-foot drops. The GD8000 has been tested by an independent lab for acoustic noise, resistance to fungus, and contamination by fluids. The notebook is sealed from the inside-out and includes an extra layer of protection from the elements with covers on the input-output ports.
The GD8000 has security features designed to protect users, information and networks, including the TPM 1.2 Network Security Standard, integrated fingerprint reader, integrated CAC card reader, a removable hard drive, and security lock slot.
“This notebook is fully rugged and is designed to go anywhere in theater,” said White. “Some rugged computers sacrifice the mobile aspect of the device because they are too heavy. A warfighter carrying an 80-pound pack doesn’t want a 10-pound notebook. Every ounce counts. This notebook weighs less than seven pounds. The GD8000 also pushes the envelope on computing power.”
The foundation of rugged solutions for the military from Dell Inc. is the Latitude E6400 XFR laptop. It meets or exceeds military standards for ruggedness and boasts fast system performance. The model is perhaps unique for its ballistic armor protection system that can take a bullet and withstand dust, moisture and a drop of up to four feet. Dell also offers the Latitude XT2 XFR convertible tablet as a military solution.
“Dell’s ballistic armor protection system uses chassis material called PR481, which provides twice the impact strength of traditional magnesium alloy,” said Joe Trickey, Dell’s brand manager for rugged mobility. “We provide an ingress protection rating of IP65, for enhanced protection against blowing dust and liquid, with securely sealed port covers. The QuadCool thermal management system enables the XFR to meet the mil standard for temperature extremes.”
Dell’s military rugged computers have laptop mounting capabilities that provide mobility and ease of use for fighting platforms such as HMMWVs, tanks, submarines and helicopters. These systems feature a number of flexible options available for mounting, all with installation services that minimize time to deployment.
The Latitude XT2 XFR convertible tablet was also designed for high performance in harsh environments and features a 12.1-inch touchscreen that responds even to taps from a gloved finger. “We built nonresistive touchscreens into the product,” said Trickey, “for warfighters who are wearing gloves while using the computer.”
The Latitude XFR has been independently tested to meet military standards and with an ingress protection rating of IP54, for operations in extreme, challenging conditions—including drops of up to three feet. Protective features include rugged protective hinges, port doors, and an optional rubber backlit keyboard. Optional solid state drives with full hard-disk encryption deliver increased durability, improved system performance and better-secured critical data.
Panasonic’s Toughbook line of rugged products are built for a variety of applications. Its CF16, CF31, CF52 and U1 models are specially designed for forward tactical military deployments. Panasonic enjoys an over-50 percent market share in the rugged military market, according to Collins.
“You will find these things anywhere there are forward-deployed warfighters in a non-desk oriented environment,” he said. “The Special Operations Command has acquired CF19s and CF52s and bundled them with other equipment to set up networks right on the battlefield. Many of our units have also been mounted in MRAPs and HMMWVs because of their ability to resist shock and vibration. Army and Navy medical units use Toughbooks to supports field medics deployed in harsh environmental conditions while ensuring soldiers have the care they need on the battlefield.”
L-3 Communications’ Ruggedized Command & Control Solutions specializes in ruggedizing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment, said Steve Effertz, the company’s director of engineering.
“We take COTS displays, panels and computer hard drives and put them into a rugged enclosure,” he explained, “to meet mil standard 810 and others. These products vary from small wrist displays to man-portable and vehicle mounted products, to rack systems that go onboard Navy ships.”
The company markets a 3.5-inch wrist display, a 5.6-inch wide screen display and an 8.4-inch display that has mounted and dismounted applications. The 5.6-inch and 8.4-inch units are currently in use as part of the United Kingdom’s armed forces version of Blue Force Tracking.
The enclosures provided for these COTS products are developed for specific application and environments. “The starting point is the size of the display,” said Effertz. “We also consider the platform it is to be operating in, processing requirements, temperature requirements, and whether the device will need heat and/or active cooling.” The enclosures are hermetically sealed against sand, dust and rain. “Sometimes they are also sealed for immersion,” said Effertz. “They are designed to meet four-foot drop requirements.”
Glacier Computer specializes in rugged computers and has an extensive line directed toward the commercial marketplace. The company is now seeking to market its rugged computers to the military. “We are looking to partner with a prime contractor or system integrator,” said company COO Mark Mistretta.
The Glacier Q100 rugged PDA was designed for data collection in harsh environments. Designed and tested to an IP67 rating, the Q100 rugged PDA will withstand wet, dusty environments as well as extremes of temperature.
The Q100 has a 3.7-inch Quarter Video Graphics Array or Video Graphics Array color display with an industrial touchscreen. The unit also includes a wide range of input/output ports as well as LAN and WAN radio options. The Q200 builds on the Q100 with a more sophisticated radio frequency identification package.
The ultra-rugged W250 is a wearable computer designed to withstand the most severe conditions while giving the user hands-free mobility. The W250 case is made of fiberglass reinforced nylon and magnesium alloy. The high resolution display and touchscreen is protected by a special film, and the unit is protected against damage from water and dust. The W250 operates from -4 degrees to 140 degrees F, and is sealed to IP67.
“The W250 is a modular design giving users the ability to change the functions of the device without removing the wrist strap,” said Mistretta. “Switching from a GPS receiver to a GPRS module is a simple and fast procedure. The battery is hot swappable, allowing for uninterrupted use in the field.”
VT Miltope’s products include rugged computers and peripherals that are used by all branches of the U.S. armed forces. The company’s rugged convertible laptop computer RCLC-1 is used by U.S. Army ground vehicle and aviation maintainers. The RLC-3 (rugged laptop computer) is used by the Air Force for F-22 IMIS PMA (integrated maintenance information system, portable maintenance aid). The RLC-2 is used by the Army for Blue Force Tracking-Aviation.
“Our display enhancements utilize passive optical techniques that maximize the display contrast ratio to maximize sunlight readability,” said Briggs. “Our products mimic the commercial counterparts in most every way relative to performance, battery life and usability. However, we tend to maintain legacy interfaces and peripherals much longer in support of our military customers than the commercial or industrial computer companies do. Size and weight variances are dependent on customer-specific feature sets and the level of ruggedization required.”
As far as future developments go, Itronix is working on interface kits that would make the GD300 compatible with WiFi and Bluetooth wireless technologies as well as 3G and 4G cellular communications. L-3 RCCS is working on incorporating organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology into its ruggedized displays. The ultimate goal is to use OLED on flexible surfaces, a development which, Effertz said, is “several years down the road.”
At Panasonic, the company “continues to modify products for better processing and denser hard drives,” said Collins. “We also anticipate developing new Toughbook form factors as needed by our customers.” ♦