Objective

Businesses must demonstrate a mission-configurable miniature, deployable sensing capability.

Description

Maneuver elements require early warning and situational understanding of the battlespace to include adversary actions and the threat of area denial tactics through the employment of hazardous persistent chemical agents. Soldiers are at risk of encountering dangerous circumstances as a consequence of having limited remote sensing capabilities for these situations.

The joint forces require a small, lightweight technology that integrates with their equipment in a small form factor. It should offer prompt detection, report the presence of multiple possible hazards or adversary troops to effect risk-based maneuver decisions, and avoid hazards.

Emerging technologies in miniature sensor science have increasingly demonstrated functionality and performance in the detection of hazardous chemicals, adversary movements and actions. Functionalized materials, including metal oxide frameworks, carbon nanotubes, and graphene and conductive polymers show increased sensitivity, selectivity and reliability as environmental sensing modalities.

Colorimetric technologies supply an inexpensive option for prompt and effective threat agent detection. They also lend themselves to automation through the incorporation of color imagery or diode transduction.

Phase I

Businesses must define a conceptual array of multimission sensing technologies for motion detection, equipment and personnel movements, and materials that deliver a unique response pattern for the presumptive detection of chemical warfare agents, . This includes G-, V-, H-, L-, A- series threat agents and pharmaceutical hazards like fentanyl and other drug-derived hazardous agents.

Concepts for the sensing of such hazards and hazardous environments may include magnetic, acoustic, passive infrared, and electromagnetic or electro-optical sensors, arrays of functionalized nanomaterials including metal and metal oxide particles and frameworks, single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, graphene and colorimetric chemistries.

The system concept should be modular to accommodate how operators configure the sensor array to meet a given mission priority (i.e., chem threat sensing or troop movements and actions as appropriate). Concepts should exhibit promising performance potential. This potential should be highlighted via comparable reported performance testing, literature reporting on the recommended sensors, transduction mechanisms and the multivariate analysis approach that would yield reliable detection results.

Phase II

Vendors must design, build and test a prototype sensor array that incorporates the proposed miniature sensors and functionalized materials onto an integrated, compact device demonstrating the proof-of-concept for the warning response in the presence of battlespace threat situations. Businesses must also demonstrate proof-of-concept for the sensitivity of the array (identification/classification not required) to surface-deposited, persistent chemicals, while objectively demonstrating a warning response.

The company should further optimize the array performance and demonstrate its capability against each targeted, hazardous situation. Devices should be amenable to form factors in the <200g range for the complete system, including any battery mass, while operating for eight  hours or longer on a single charge. The starting Technology Readiness Level on completion of the SBIR Phase II two-year period of performance should be TRL5 or greater. This mandates the testing of the prototype under operational conditions and transduction mechanisms validated against live agents.

Phase III

Vendors should integrate the prototype sensor array along with its electronic packaging, physical form and software to establish a manufacturing process for small production runs of miniature deployable sensors. Businesses must establish a quality assurance procedure to validate the reliability, consistency and reproducibility of the manufactured items.

The Phase III performance will likely involve the development of non-recurring engineering for the production of consistent and reliable multifunctional sensor products. Companies need to support a test agency’s operational assessment event and any user feedback events required.

Businesses must demonstrate, as manufactured, the sensitivity of the array (identification/classification not required) to battlefield threat situations, including adversary movements of personnel or equipment, chemical hazards including G-, V-, H-, L-, A- series threat agents, and pharmaceutical chemicals. In addition, businesses must objectively demonstrating a warning response.

The vendor must ensure the solution starts at the Technology Readiness Level following the completion of the SBIR Phase III performance period. It should be TRL6 or greater. The business needs to develop additional commercial products based on the final integrated system, and pursue appropriate demonstration and testing opportunities.

Submission Information

All eligible businesses must submit proposals by noon ET.

To view full solicitation details, click here.

For more information, and to submit your full proposal package, visit the DSIP Portal.

STTR Help Desk: usarmy.rtp.devcom-arl.mbx.sttr-pmo@army.mil