New Taunton EDGE^® Innovation Center ‘Tames the Complexity’ of Command and Control Systems in Tactical Vehicles

6,000-sf. collaborative engineering center will focus on improving military vehicles’ ergonomics so warfighters get “an easier ride” in operating tactical systems

“Human-centered design” improves warfighter efficiency; speeds training

WHAT:		General Dynamics C4 Systems will open its sixth and largest EDGE® facility, the Vehicle C4ISR Innovation Center in Taunton, Mass., part of the EDGE Innovation Network. The EDGE® Innovation Network is a collaborative initiative that enables EDGE members from industry and academia, with government input, to work together to speed delivery of new technologies and innovative capabilities to warfighters and first responders. Command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems provide soldiers with information critical to their safety and effectiveness in the battlespace. The new Vehicle C4ISR EDGE enables EDGE members and government end-users to ‘tame the complexity’ associated with learning and operating C4ISR systems aboard military vehicles operating in tactical environments.
WHEN:		Best interview and photo opportunity is Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009, beginning at 8:30 a.m.; Ribbon-cutting event begins at 2 p.m.
WHERE:		425 John Quincy Adams Road, Building 88, Taunton, Mass. 02780 (General Dynamics C4 Systems facility). Note: The Vehicle C4ISR EDGE is a secure facility and requires media credentialing prior to arrival. Contact Fran Jacques, 480-586-1886 for information.

VISUALS and DEMONSTRATIONS:

Background for b-roll, photography and interviews include:

• Vehicle Integration Lab – Where the “rubber meets the road”; the Integration Lab enables engineers and warfighters to evaluate in real-time what works and what doesn’t

Demonstrations to include:

• A new ergonomic redesign of equipment inside an armored military vehicle. EDGE members and warfighters “fresh from the fight,” worked together on the human-centered design elements to save space, weight and power consumption. The new design greatly and visibly improves how soldiers interact with battle “office equipment,” making work inside vehicles easier and more efficient.
• A Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle, used as a communications hub for commanders, contains a variety of command, control, communication and computing (C4) equipment. Using human centered design principles, the equipment layout now enables improved voice and Internet capabilities.