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Category: Opportunity DoD Communities of Interest: Human Systems Subject: EXOSENSE: Exoskeleton Sensor Data Fusion and Insight System Due Date: 24 March 2021 Government Organization: Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) Description: EXOSENSE: Exoskeleton Sensor Data Fusion and Insight System OBJECTIVE: Develop, demonstrate, and deliver a system to identify, gather, process, and integrate exoskeleton internal sensor data to improve the Soldier's physical performance and operational effectiveness. The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 3.5 of the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws. DESCRIPTION: Current exoskeletons that are being developed or used by Army Soldiers perform physical augmentation through AI and sensors. The data generated is processed within the exoskeleton, and remains within the system. Soldiers and Leaders lack the ability to see and use the exoskeleton data to inform Soldiers of their current physical attributes or improve their long-term performance. The Army is currently implementing both the Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) and Net Warrior systems with Soldiers and Leaders as situational awareness devices. Both devices are hand held smartphones that communicate through secure tactical radios and have open architecture platforms allowing new application development and integration. These platforms are ideal destinations for exported exoskeleton sensor data because they “allow for precision targeting, surrounding land formation intelligence, situational awareness, navigation, and data sharing” Sensors from which data might be merged include, but are not limited to, electro (ECG, EMG, EEG, EOG, EKG), motion (encoders, IMU), position (GPS), temperature (thermometers) and imaging (cameras, LiDAR) sensors. There is currently no system that integrates these data sources, or provides insight to a more detailed physical performance analysis for operations and training. Capabilities of this solution could include (but are not limited to): Integration with Android Tactical Assault Kit/Nett Warrior (ATAK/NW) systems to visualize real-time biological, physiological, performance, and safety monitoring Provide actionable insight on movements, health, and location to the individual Soldier through ATAK/NW Provide dashboard of insights on multiple Soldiers’ movement, health, and location to leadership Ability to perform sensor fusion, computation, and delivery to ATAK/NW, both connected to the network and on the edge System should be sensor agnostic PHASE I: Design proof of concept solution that fuses data from relevant exoskeleton sensors, evaluates Soldiers’ performance, and transmits insightful information based on sensor data to the ATAK/NW. Solutions will be evaluated based on a holistic view of factors including: the ability to integrate with ATAK/NW, operate on the edge, rapidity and accuracy of Soldiers physical performance and operational analysis, ease of use visualization tool, and any additional factors proposed. Final deliverable will be a concept design presentation, proof of technology demonstration, and plans for follow-on Phase II work. Proposers interested in submitting a Direct-to-Phase-II proposal in response to this topic must provide documentation to substantiate that the scientific and technical merit and feasibility described in the Phase I section of this topic has been met and describes the potential commercial applications of the solution. Documentation should include all relevant information including, but not limited to: technical reports, test data, prototype designs/models, and performance goals/results. PHASE II: Design a prototype system where sensor data will be captured and integrated into the ATAK/NW environment. Solution should contain all capabilities listed above, as well as any additional features proposed by the vendor, and will be evaluated on a holistic basis including quality at which the system captures relevant data and insights, and speed of processing and transmitting to ATAK/NW. Awardee(s) of this topic will have the ability to voluntarily participate in quarterly Soldier touch-points, which are 1–2-day trips within the continental US. Touch-points will be provided free of charge. Participating companies must travel and participate out of company internal operating budgets. Soldier touch-point details will be provided to awardee(s) under this topic at Phase II award. PHASE III: Develop a manufacturing-ready product design, capable of integration with current exoskeleton at the time and ATAK/NW. The system should enable the ability to interpolate Soldiers’ quantified performance data for real time operational effectiveness, assistance in individualized Soldier training, and production of after-action reports (AAR) for Leaders to analyze optimal/suboptimal behaviors in collective and unit task analysis. Potential commercial applications of the technology exist within the automotive, healthcare, sports performance, internet of things (IoT), and manufacturing industries where data fusion and insights are needed. KEYWORDS: Exoskeleton; Physical augmentation; Internet of Things (IoT); Physical performance; Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK); Net Warrior (NW); Sensor Fusion; Data Analytics; Data Science; Robotics; Unsupervised Machine Learning; Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) Additional information can be found at beta.SAM.gov link for this opportunity. Website: https://beta.sam.gov/opp/a5778b7a4bdf40ff8dd571e5d0549662/view |
EXOSENSE: Exoskeleton Sensor Data Fusion and Insight System
Due Date: 24 March 2021 Description: EXOSENSE: Exoskeleton Sensor Data Fusion and Insight System Develop, demonstrate, and deliver a system to identify, gather, process, and integrate exoskeleton internal sensor data to improve the Soldier's physical performance and operational effectiveness.