The Army that fought and won World War II relied on commercial industry and civilian ingenuity for the machines and technology that enabled Allied victory. Army investments and civilian know-how set the stage for the high-tech revolution that continues to fuel global markets over seventy years later. Today, as the accelerated rate of technological change in areas like artificial intelligence, robotics and autonomy, and power and energy presages unprecedented opportunities and threats, the Army seeks to renew its commitment to the revolutionary ideas and civilian research and development partnerships that will ensure the safety and prosperity of the nation in the years to come.
United States Army Futures Command (AFC) is focused on modernizing the Army and focuses on six priorities:
1. Long-Range Precision Fires
2. Next Generation of Combat Vehicles
3. Future Vertical Lift Platforms
4. Army Network
5. Air and Missile Defense Capabilities
6. Soldier Lethality
While the Army plays a unique role in our society to deploy, fight, and win decisively against any adversary, anytime, and anywhere, many of the technologies that the Army relies on to accomplish this mission are being propelled by the civilian world. Army modernization priorities related to manned and unmanned vehicles, space systems, sensing, networks and connectivity, data visualization and gaming, space, and human performance monitoring (to name a few) all have substantial overlap with civilian sources, uses, and markets.
To capitalize on opportunities for breakthrough research and development in key civil-military technology areas relevant to the Army’s modernization priorities, AFC has established the Army Applications Lab (AAL) to capitalize on the extended marketplace of ideas in government, academia, industry, and civilian innovation ecosystems and lead the research and development of disruptive innovations – i.e., technology demonstrators and early-stage products that revolutionize Army capabilities and corresponding civilian industries and create a first-mover advantage for the Army across a full spectrum of missions.
The three main lines of effort associated with this BAA are (1) discovery, (2) acceleration, and (3) translation of disruptive technology applications.
AAL is seeking technologies that address a wide range of Army needs consistent with CFT capability focus areas and associated programs and lines of effort as well as potentially disruptive new capabilities that augment or enhance Army capability overmatch.
Proposals will be considered until and including the closing date of this announcement (see cover page of this announcement for opening/closing dates), except for special programs identified in this BAA that may announce specific opening/closing dates. Proposals submitted after the closing date will not be considered by the Government.
Closing Date: May 1, 2024
Special Notice: VISION AIDED NAVIGATION PROTOTYPES
The Army Applications Lab (AAL) along with Command Power and Integration Directorate (CP&ID) – Position Navigation & Timing (PNT) Division, are seeking technologies related to vision based navigation for dismounted Soldiers as a Special Topic under the AAL Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) W911NF-19-S-0004 for Advance Technology Demonstration and related research as described below. Upon receipt, the Government will evaluate submissions through the process established in the AAL BAA, except as modified herein.
AAL is interested in Vision Aided Navigation solutions & associated technologies that will enable U.S. Army Soldiers operating in dismounted operations to continue to obtain Position, Navigation, and Timing in areas with limited or no GPS signal. Because dismounted operations include operating without immediate access to vehicle support, devises carried by a Soldier should be small, lightweight, and capable of operating with low power consumption.
The intent of this special topic is to develop Vision Aided Navigation capabilities, including component, sub-component, and associated technologies, to allow dismounted Soldiers to continue to operate utilizing limited or no GPS signals, which will enhance dismounted capabilities while reducing the need to overpower jamming systems.
Proposals invited under this Special Topic should relate to one or more of the following themes.
The deadline for white paper submission is 02 July, 2020.
Eligible applicants under this BAA include institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, foreign organizations, foreign public entities, and for-profit organizations (i.e. large and small businesses) for scientific research in mechanical sciences, mathematical sciences, electronics, computing science, physics, chemistry, life sciences, materials science, network science, and environmental sciences. In accordance with FAR 35.016, Whitepapers and proposals will be evaluated only if they are “for acquisition of basic and applied research and that part of development not related to the development of a specific system or hardware procurement. BAA’s may be used by agencies to fulfill their requirements for scientific study and experimentation directed toward advancing the state-of-the-art or increasing knowledge or understanding rather than focusing on a specific system or hardware solution.”
