The SWaP Imperative
The success of modern military operations often depends on how light, efficient, and powerful your equipment is. That’s where SWaP-optimized solutions come in. SWaP stands for Size, Weight, and Power – and reducing all three is a top priority for defense technology developers worldwide.
By creating smaller, lighter, and more energy-efficient systems, militaries can boost performance while cutting down on bulk and battery drain. Whether worn by soldiers or mounted on unmanned vehicles, SWaP-optimized solutions allow teams to move faster, operate longer, and carry more advanced capabilities into the field.
Unburdening the Modern Warfighter
Soldiers today carry an average of 60–100 pounds of gear, including weapons, armor, communication systems, and surveillance tools. Adding more tech isn’t always helpful, unless it’s designed with SWaP in mind.
For example, replacing a traditional rugged computer weighing 10 pounds with a SWaP-optimized edge computing unit that weighs just 2 pounds and uses half the power, can dramatically reduce a soldier’s load. That saved weight could mean carrying extra ammunition, medical supplies, or batteries for other essential gear.
Miniaturized electronics, low-power processors, and rugged wearable devices can give soldiers real-time data and urban situational awareness without slowing them down. By keeping gear compact and energy-efficient, SWaP-optimized systems make it easier to move, respond, and stay in the fight longer – without the extra burden.
Optimizing Unmanned Platforms
Drones, unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), and robotic systems have tight limits on how much weight and power they can handle. Maris-Tech designs lightweight, low-power edge computing platforms that fit perfectly into small airborne and ground platforms. These systems support video streaming, AI-powered threat detection, and secure communications, all without draining the power supply or adding excess weight.
Here’s how:
Edge Computing for Tactical Dominance
Edge computing means processing critical data right where it’s collected – on the battlefield, in real time. SWaP-optimized edge systems make this possible without needing bulky server racks or heavy computing units.
Maris-Tech’s proven ability to capture and analyze high-quality video at the edge in real-time is a critical technology component for effective decision-making, data analytics, and, ultimately, mission success. Soldiers and commanders can make decisions without waiting for information to be sent to a central server and back. This speed and independence give teams a major advantage in fast-changing scenarios.
Mission-Critical Interconnectivity
Cameras, sensors, communications gear, and computing units must work together seamlessly to give fighting forces a complete, real-time picture in the battlefield. If even one link fails, it can compromise the entire chain of intelligence. That’s why rugged, reliable, and adaptable edge computing platforms serve as the hub that connects different devices, ensuring data moves quickly and securely between soldiers, vehicles, drones, and command centers, even in complex environments.
For example, Onyx from Maris-Tech is SWaP-optimized for video streaming, recording, and AI applications. It is miniature and durable, and is ideal for homeland security (HLS) and defense deployments in harsh environments, where reliability and performance are critical. Its dual USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, dual microphones, and GPIOs provide the versatile interfaces needed to integrate multiple mission systems into one connected network – making sure information flows without delay and teams stay coordinated at all times.
Powering Persistent Operations
In military missions, the need for constant awareness, data, and communication never stops, even in situations where power is limited. SWaP-optimized solutions are designed to run longer on less energy. This means more hours of drone flight, more endurance in tank surveillance, and fewer battery swaps in the field.
For example, Maris-Tech’s Jupiter Nano is a low-latency video encoding and decoding platform designed to handle multiple video channels. It offers the lowest power consumption in the market, essential for small drones and covert applications.
Architectures for Scalable Integration
Solutions that can be deployed across a range of platforms without the need for a complete redesign for each individual platform are efficient and practical. This scalable integration ensures that once a technology is proven effective, it can be adapted for use in multiple vehicles, units, and operational environments, thus reducing costs, simplifying logistics, and speeding up deployment.
Diamond, Maris-Tech’s AI-based situational awareness platform, is built with this adaptability in mind. Providing 360° 3D situational awareness and advanced airborne threat protection, Diamond is designed specifically for armored fighting vehicles (AFVs) and can be integrated seamlessly into a wide variety of AFV platforms. This flexibility is important for operational versatility, by allowing the same high-performance system to serve in urban combat, open terrain, and other high-risk scenarios without compromise.
Ruggedization and Environmental Resilience
Combat zones are rarely clean, quiet, or climate-controlled. That’s why SWaP-optimized systems that are also ruggedized can withstand heat, cold, moisture, vibration, dust, and shock.
Maris-Tech specializes in developing compact edge systems that maintain full functionality under extreme conditions. These solutions are tested and proven for real-world deployment, ensuring they meet SWaP standards for durability and reliability.
The Future of Tactical Advantage
As threats grow more complex, the need for efficient, powerful, and portable tech will only increase. SWaP-optimized solutions will continue to shape the future of defense operations, enabling smarter, faster, and more connected missions across land, air, sea, and space.
Maris-Tech’s low-SWaP edge computing platforms and situational awareness systems are already powering missions around the world. Learn how Maris-Tech’s SWaP-optimized solutions can give your teams the tactical edge they need.
Frequently Asked Questions
SWaP optimized refers to electronic systems that are specifically designed to minimize size, weight, and power consumption while still delivering high performance.
Reducing size and weight improves mobility and endurance, and lowering power usage extends mission duration – critical factors for both manned and unmanned operations.
Maris-Tech creates ultra-compact, low-power edge computing platforms that deliver real-time video, AI analytics, and communication for mission-critical systems.
Yes. With modern technology, systems can be small and energy-efficient while still supporting AI processing, HD video, and secure communications.
No. They are also used in soldier-worn devices, portable surveillance kits, and rugged mobile command systems.
They’re designed and tested to ensure performance in high heat, extreme cold, vibration-heavy transport, and dusty or wet conditions.
Yes. Many SWaP-optimized systems are modular and scalable, meaning they can be updated or expanded as mission needs evolve.