UK defense tech firm QinetiQ will use artificial intelligence to accelerate inspections of British Army body armor under a new 2.2-million-pound ($2.94 million) contract.
The AI-enabled rapid radiography capability will examine armor for cracks and other structural defects while also checking its weight and thickness against required standards.
QinetiQ said the system can complete inspections up to 15 times faster than current methods.
Staff will operate the equipment at the company’s Fort Halstead site in Kent, where body armor will pass through the system on a conveyor belt.
Integrated Automatic Defect Recognition software will analyze the resulting high-resolution digital images and classify each inspection within seconds.
Before the equipment enters service, QinetiQ will train the AI software to assess the armor’s structural integrity. Expert operators will then independently review its findings.
“The rapid radiography capability will provide a new level of confidence about the safety of vital protective equipment and ensure it is available to those who need it quicker than ever before,” said Will Blamey, chief executive of UK Defence at QinetiQ.
