US Army seeks special gloves for use with smartphones

Tue May 1 2012, 14:09 PM

The US Army is seeking to provide its soldiers with special "combat survivable" gloves to use with the touch screens of battlefield smartphones.

In a request for information (RFI), the Army specified that the gloves must display "tactile accuracy", be flame retardant, and suitable for use by the type of screen used on the iPhone and iPad, according to InformationWeek.

The capacitive gloves will be made with silver material to conduct bioelectricity to enable gloved fingers to interact with the capacitive touch screen in the same way as bare skin.

The gloves should be able to manipulate graphic interfaces and tactical software applications on commercial devices, which are fitted with a ruggedised case that makes the screen difficult to manipulate using an ordinary glove.

The gloves will be used in the Army's Nett Warrior programme, which aims to enable soldiers to ascertain their location in the field, employ wireless networking, and use cameras to transmit images.

The Army, which has not specified the models the gloves will be used with, plans to deliver the gloves to 38 brigade combat team members between fiscal years 2013 and 2016.