Proposed Land Warrior Helmet Knuckle Reduces Strain, Enables Replacement

19 Sep 03

For Land Warrior-Initial Capability (LW-IC), the cable that connects the head to the torso is hardwired to helmet.  As a result, one must replace the helmet and cable in unison.

Minnesota Defense proposed a multi-directional knuckle for Land Warrior-Stryker Interoperable (LW-SI).  The design reduces cable strain by introducing a swivel and enables field replacement by supporting quick disconnect.  In addition, the helmet knuckle ensures that both right- and left-handed soldiers can quickly detach their helmet from the hub.

Figure 1: The helmet knuckle connects body-worn electronics with a soldier's head-mounted display.		Figure 2: By enabling swiveling, the helmet knuckle reduces cable strain and ensures easy detachment for right- and left-handed soldiers.		Figure 3: The proposed helmet knuckle enable a soldier to quickly disconnect a cable and, therefore, make replacements in the field.