DR. JAMES CHRISTENSEN
Airmen Systems
Christensen’s job is to connect AFRL’s basic science research with Air Force operational needs. To accomplish this goal, he identifies opportunities to rapidly develop and transition products that meet near-term Air Force requirements.
In one instance, Christensen spearheaded the development of wearable monitoring devices for Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape, or SERE, specialists. These devices protect students during rigorous training exercises where they function in isolated rugged environments for extended periods.
Product development begins with identifying the customer’s requirements, says Christensen. In this case, the devices would need to determine heart rate, detect location, estimate core temperature and transmit data via long-range communications.
“Going in, we knew we needed a broad range of skillsets,” said Christensen. He explained that to produce an effective system, the team needed experts in a variety of areas: wearable devices, electronics, software development, communications, human factors, and physiology. With support from leadership and a highly engaged customer, the team easily recruited members who were eager to work, he said.
1st Lt. David Feibus managed the software development efforts and Ted Harmer supported the CONOPS (concept of operations). Christensen provided technical expertise in physiology and metrics
“We pulled together capabilities from several different parts of the organization to assemble the sensors, the software to pull sensor data together and then the communications capability to then send that data and be able to monitor it continuously and remotely,” he said.
Team members faced obstacles during the design and development process including unreliable cellphone service, rugged terrain and an inability to add infrastructure. The devices had to be comfortable, lightweight and durable to ensure utility and feasibility.
Working closely with the customer, the team settled on an approach using off-the-shelf shirts with wearable sensors. The data collected travels via satellite and taken from a server to enable real-time monitoring. They named this product the Survival Health Awareness Responders Kit (SHARK).
After completing the assembly, the team conducted field tests at Camp Bullis, a 28,000-acre site in Texas. Christensen and several others lived with the training instructors in tents for close to a week to test the devices on students.
We stayed in their “camp, which is set up like a forward operating base with tent accommodations and facilities,” he explains.
He detailed the “back and forth trips” where they provided students embedded in the field with the devices each morning. At night, they returned to collect the devices and charge their batteries overnight.
“We generally saw the students at least twice each day,” he explained.
“A continuous monitoring display was linked to a big screen in the instructors’ main tent to provide them with a of a live view of vital signs and location data for each of the students,” he revealed,
The instructors “recognized the value of what we were doing really quickly,” he asserts. “They were concerned about trainee safety and they [understood] the potential for this system.” Furthermore, the students were also supportive and even expressed interest in using the devices once they understood their purpose.
Ultimately, the testing confirmed that the product met the needs of the SERE instructors, says Christensen.
Personnel from Wright Patterson AFB initially connected with SERE specialists during an immersion visit to Fairchild AFB in Washington where the Commander of the Survival School, Col. John Groves, discussed his desire to incorporate technology into Air Force training programs.
The need to monitor students during training exercises stemmed from a 2016 incident in which a candidate suffered a heat stroke during a six-hour solo exercise in 100-degree weather. Since AFRL possessed expertise in wearable, monitoring technology, leaders from the 711th Human Performance Wing offered to develop a solution.