helmetmounted

Helmetmounted devices are equipment attached to a helmet that provide or record information related to the wearer’s head position and line of sight. The term encompasses helmet-mounted displays (HMDs), helmet-mounted cameras, and helmet-mounted lighting or sensors. When used for visualization, an HMD presents images or data in the user’s field of view, often aligned with gaze or head direction, while keeping the hands free.

Applications span military, aviation, industrial, and recreational uses. In military aviation, helmet-mounted displays cue weapons, sensors, and information based on head motion, improving situational awareness and reducing the need for manual input. Examples include joint helmet mounted cueing systems and helmet-mounted display systems used in modern fighters and rotorcraft. Helmet-mounted cameras capture first-person video for training, mission review, or surveillance, and helmet-mounted lighting provides hands-free illumination in low-light environments.

Common components include a display unit, optics, and a head-tracking subsystem consisting of gyroscopes, accelerometers, and magnetometers. Displays can be see-through (augmented reality) or video-based; some systems are monocular, others binocular. The design emphasizes lightweight ergonomics, low latency, adequate field of view, power efficiency, and ruggedness for harsh environments.

Safety and standards address eye protection, electromagnetic compatibility, and durability. History traces helmet-mounted displays to early research in the 1960s, with significant advances in military systems in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, culminating in modern HMDS used with advanced fighter aircraft and rotorcraft.