Fully Rugged Mobile PCs Provide an Edge on the Battlefield and Beyond

March 1, 2025

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) pioneered satellites, the internet, drones, and human-computer interfaces. Now that work is enabling the next round of revolutionary technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), edge and cloud computing, and the Internet of Military Things (IoMT) for a wide variety of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) applications.

Laptops and tablets are beneficiaries of yesterday’s DARPA breakthroughs as well as enablers of today’s and tomorrow’s innovations. For example, ruggedized mobile PCs provide powerful new tools for asymmetric warfare by giving soldiers anytime, anywhere access to biometric information such as fingerprints and facial recognition. That information enables them to quickly determine whether a person in street clothes at a checkpoint is a civilian or combatant. This application also highlights the fundamental role of edge computing and the cloud for securely storing and sharing that biometric information.

The T360 with M240 on Bearcat and LTATV. (Image: Durabook)

Another example is IoMT devices such as wearable sensors that monitor the location and health of soldiers for applications such as blue force tracking, and drone-mounted sensors such as thermal video cameras. Mobile PCs provide officers, drone pilots, and other users with secure access to this tactical and personnel IoMT data so they can make informed decisions. Increasingly those decisions are made with the help of generative AI, which can develop battlefield scenarios and options faster than any human.

But not just any mobile PC is up to the task. To be military grade, tablets, and laptops must be ruggedized to meet standards such as MIL-STD-810H, MIL-STD-461G, and IP66 rating, indicating protection against water and dust ingress. These certifications prove they can operate safely and reliably even in the most challenging conditions, including explosive atmospheres. They also must have sealed cases and ports, the latest state-of-the-art CPUs and other major components, a broad selection of wired and wireless connectivity options, hot-swappable batteries, and screens that remain bright and readable even in direct sunlight.

The Durabook R8 Tablet can be integrated into a variety of legacy and new platforms. (Image: Durabook)

One example is IEC Infrared Systems’ T360 Remote Weapon Station, used to aim and fire the M240 7.62mm medium machine gun and LWMMG .338 light machine gun. A key component is the handheld Rugged Controller Unit (RCU), which controls the weapon and camera systems and provides information such as ammunition levels. The RCU is based on the Durabook R8 tablet, whose fully rugged specs include an IP66 rating, six-foot drop resistance, and MIL-STD 810H and ANSI/UL C1D2 certifications.

The R8 features Durabook’s proprietary DynaVue® technology to ensure that the RCU’s 8-inch LCD display is always viewable even in direct sunlight. The R8 also uses the Coolfinity™ passive cooling system to eliminate fans and thus ingress points for liquids, sand, and other foreign object debris. Coolfinity helps maximize battery life by reducing power consumption and extends the RCU’s service life by eliminating moving parts that can eventually wear out.

Another example is Durabook rugged devices are supporting the system integrator community for short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missile threats with the ability of intercepting targets both outside and inside the atmosphere. One major anti-missile system uses the Durabook Z14I fully rugged laptop, whose specs mirror those of the R8 rugged tablet: IP66, MIL-STD 810H certification, six-foot drop resistance, and DynaVue® sunlight readable display.

An image showing how the Durabook Z14I Laptop is optimized for tactical operations. The video also briefly shows how Durabook’s laptops are designed for rugged environments and applications. (Image: Durabook)

The Z14I’s 14-inch high-definition multi-touch screen provides a high contrast ratio and up to 1,200 nits of brightness, all of which maximizes viewing clarity from multiple angles and in both direct sunlight and low-light conditions. That’s critical for defense systems that provide combat teams on the battlefield with granular tactical insights. The Durabook Z14I delivers mobile mission integrated capabilities, enhanced situational awareness, and interoperability at the tactical edge across combat teams to allow faster and more accurate leader decisions.

Finally, as Windows 11 devices, the R8 and Z14I are designed with Microsoft’s Secured-core PC technology. Microsoft’s Secured-core PC technology, built on firmware and dynamic root of trust measurement, shields credentials, sensitive information, and mission-critical data at the edge computing to cloud infrastructure by protecting devices against firmware-level malware attacks.

This article was written by Joe Guest, Federal President, Durabook (Fremont, CA). For more information, visit here .