Tactical Environmental Mapping for Battlefield Casualty Care

Overview

• Project Code: TaMaCare
• Start Date: January 1, 2025
• End Date: December 31, 2027
• Reference: N/A
• Funding: Defence-related Research Action (DEFRA), 2024
• Royal Military Academy Involvement: Coordinator
• Quad Chart

Team

Staff

Partners

• Coordinator: Hannes De Meulemeester
• Coordinator Affiliation: Royal Military Academy, Department of Mathematics (MWMW)
• Project Co-promotor: N/A
• RMA Researchers: Darius Couchard

• Project Partners (RMA): N/A
• Project Partners (BE-DEF): N/A
• Project Partners (Other): Ghent University, Pozyx

Context

On the battlefield, injured soldiers can face significant delays in medical treatment or evacuation due to ongoing hostilities and treacherous terrain. Traditional methods of casualty care rely on limited information and may put medics at unnecessary risk: medics often lack a comprehensive picture of the battlefield, hindering their ability to locate and prioritise casualties while minimising exposure to threats.

Objectives

TaMaCare aims to revolutionise battlefield casualty care by creating a real-time digital twin of the frontline. The proposed digital twin aims to provide medics with a clear view of the battlefield, encompassing the location of injured soldiers, their vital signs, and any structures or potential dangers present in the vicinity.

Methodology

• 3D Mapping: Creating a 3D representation of the battlefield.
• Casualty and Threat Detection: Automatically identifying and locating injured soldiers and potential threats (explosive devices) with visible and infrared cameras.
• Real-Time Localization and Health Monitoring: Establishing a network of Ultra-Wideband (UWB) anchors and tags to track the location of casualties in real-time.