Photo By Peter Clute | In an effort to improve efficiency and reduce the costs of maintaining and repairing...... read more read more
Subscribe
In an effort to improve efficiency and reduce the costs of maintaining and repairing naval assets, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport hosted a demonstration, May 20, of an advanced 5G-enbabled augmented reality technology allowing shore-based experts to remotely assist Sailors and technicians operating around the world.
The demonstration showcased two key technologies funded as part of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between NUWC Division, Keyport and 5G Open Innovation Lab: a Mixed Reality Expert Guidance system—which uses a capability known as full virtual shipyard construction integration to create a digital replica of a ship or shipyard—and a cutting edge, Private Cellular network solution designed to solve connectivity, edge compute and application challenges in remote and contested operating environments.
Cooperative Research and Development Agreements allow federal laboratories like NUWC Division, Keyport to perform collaborative research and development with non-federal entities to support technology transfer and commercialization readiness, concept ideation, prototype development, testing and evaluation, assessments and pilot deployments, and the adaptation of commercial products for government use.
The demo took place both on base and aboard the command's Yard Torpedo Test Craft 11 just offshore. Personnel on the YTT 11 acted as Sailors needing assistance, while experts in the shore-based facility provided remote support using the MREG system. Representatives from NUWC Division, Keyport and CRADA partners observed the demonstration on a large monitor showing the augmented reality feed.
The event was spearheaded by Brad Bittle, an engineer at NUWC Division, Keyport. Bittle said the demonstration showed "the art of the possible."
“We’ve got ships in every time zone and Sailors at the leading edge,” said Bittle. “And when their equipment breaks, how do they quickly get help back in the States to get it working again and get back into the fight? This demonstration showed how this technology is foundational for quickly repairing ships and getting them back in working order, on time and on budget.”
Michael Slater, Warfare Center Shipyard Innovation Cell lead, who also attended the event, said he saw great potential in the technology for remote problem-solving and improving efficiency across the Navy. Slater was particularly impressed by its AR annotation feature, which allows users on both ends to draw lines and highlight images directly on the live video feed, like two people working together on the same blueprint despite being miles apart.
“I was certainly very excited to see those kinds of technologies," said Slater. "You could be halfway around the world, and you're helping someone remotely who has a camera. They're able to look at issues, draw on the screen with a highlighter, and have it show up on the far end, allowing you to really solve problems in real time."
Other key features of the MREG system include secure, real-time video and audio communication, remote document sharing and the ability to take spatial measurements. These features are all available through device-agnostic platforms.
Corey Countryman, a NUWC Division, Keyport systems engineer, also attended the demonstration. Countryman said the core functionality of the MREG software—annotatable video conferencing—has been available for quite some time through several different products, but that he was impressed by the end-to-end integration of the system with the secure wireless interconnectivity provided by the vendor.
Countryman stated, “It went extremely well. They demonstrated their capability. It worked flawlessly as far as I'm concerned. As it stands right now, it's a fieldable system and we should be getting it on board and using it.
Bittle said NUWC Division, Keyport intends to continue exploring the use of 5G and MREG technologies to support ship repair, maintenance and modernization, and that further demonstrations and partnerships are currently being planned.
-KPT-
Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport is headquartered in the state of Washington on the Puget Sound, about 10 miles west of Seattle. To provide ready support to Fleet operational forces at all major Navy homeports in the Pacific, NUWC Division, Keyport maintains detachments in San Diego, California and Honolulu, Hawaii, and remote operating sites in Guam; Japan; Hawthorne, Nevada; and Portsmouth, Virginia. At NUWC Division, Keyport, our diverse and highly skilled team of engineers, scientists, technicians, administrative professionals and industrial craftsmen work tirelessly to develop, maintain and sustain undersea warfare superiority for the United States.
| Date Taken: | 07.08.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.08.2025 17:04 |
| Story ID: | 542250 |
| Location: | KEYPORT, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 178 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NUWC Division, Keyport explores 5G and augmented reality for ship repair and maintenance, by Frank Kaminski, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
