The Mission Navigation Belt makes GPS-based navigation safer and more intuitive by using haptic feedback to convey navigation cues.

Utrecht, The Netherlands, 6 July, 2020 - Elitac Wearables B.V. announced today that it has delivered the first order of Mission Navigation Belts to the Royal Netherlands Army. The Mission Navigation Belt (MNB) allows soldiers to feel waypoint navigation directions through small, quiet vibration motors, located in a lightweight belt worn around the waist. The order is part of a wider initiative by the Netherlands Ministry of Defense to improve situational awareness and survivability through the application of new technologies.

Trade-off between traditional navigation and situational awareness

Traditional navigation compromises situational awareness because it requires soldiers to take their focus away from their surroundings to check screens or maps, or listen to audio instructions. The Mission Navigation Belt solves this problem by conveying navigation cues through haptic feedback and the underutilised sense of touch. This way, it frees up soldiers’ hands, eyes and ears to concentrate on their surroundings.

The MNB was developed by haptic feedback specialists Elitac Wearables in close collaboration with the Netherlands Ministry of Defense. Major Van Veen, of the Royal Netherlands Army Defence Centre of Expertise for Soldier and Equipment, explained: “Modern soldiers have access to incredible, hi-tech navigation systems, but these all require soldiers to keep checking their screens constantly. This makes an already dangerous job even more dangerous because it reduces situational awareness.”

News Overview

News Overview

Elitac Wearables delivers first Mission Navigation Belt order to Royal Netherlands Army

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