Dutch army equipped with vibrating belts for hands-free navigation

By David Hambling

The belt has seven vibrating motors to direct the wearer

Elitac Wearables

Dutch soldiers are being kitted out with a belt that allows them to sense the location of waypoints, providing intuitive, hands-free directions.

Haptic navigation tools, which guide the wearer through vibration, have been researched as a possible aid for people with visual impairments, but are also of interest to the military. A firm called Elitac Wearables in Utrecht, the Netherlands, has delivered the first real product, selling 20 of its Mission Navigation Belts to the Royal Netherlands Army this month for an undisclosed price.

Existing navigational aids require …