Remotely Acquired Human Signatures for Tactical Biometrics and Medical Diagnosis

The Modeling and Simulation Division at the U.S. Army’s RDECOM CERDEC Night Vision Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) is exploring ways to exploit human signatures for both tactical and medical applications. The current operating environment that the Army faces is characterized by uncertainty and surprise, with threats coming from increasingly non-traditional sources. Tactically relevant biometrics needs to be conducted at longer ranges, at night, and in degraded environments. In this work we discuss some of the challenges and potential solutions to conducting human identification and recognition in non-ideal conditions. In addition, the asymmetric nature of warfare has also led to a need for novel medical diagnostic tools. We discuss ways that EO/IR sensors could be used for remote triage and in the diagnosis and treatment of mTBI and PTSD. The ultimate goal of our work is to look at novel applications that utilize existing sensors in order to provide our Soldiers with the tools they need to best accomplish their mission, and when home, have the best medical care possible.