Air Force Research Laboratory Airman Systems Directorate - Request for Information

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) Air Force Research Laboratory Airman Systems Directorate Integrated Cockpit Sensing (ICS) - 1. CONTRACTING OFFICE ADDRESS AND POINTS OF CONTACT (POC) Address Department of the Air Force, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Aerospace Systems Directorate Contracting Office, AFRL/RAKHA, 2130 8th St., Bldg. 45, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7541. Contracting POC - 1. Contracting Officer, Joseph Mizzi, email: joseph.mizzi@us.af.mil - 2. Contract Negotiator, Marina Schemmel, email: marina.schemmel@us.af.mil Technical POC - 1. Product Line Lead, Dr. James Christensen, email: james.christensen.7@us.af.mil NOTE: See paragraph 5 on how to request for clarification. - 2. GENERAL INFORMATION - a. This Request for Information (RFI) is a Government effort to conduct Market Research to support potential future planning initiatives through data collection. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. It does not constitute a solicitation (Request for Proposal or Request for Quotations) or a promise to issue a solicitation in the future. This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Furthermore, we are not at this time seeking proposals. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the responding party's expense. - b. Responses to this RFI DO NOT need to address every technical research area outlined below. - 3. GENERAL INTENT - a. Background The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), 711th Human Performance Wing, Airman Systems Directorate (RH), Airman Bioengineering Division (RHB), Airman Sensing and Assessment Product Line provides USAF with advanced research and development of Airman centric sensor and assessment capabilities to sustain and enhance performance. In pursuit of this goal, RHB is responsible for maturing, integrating, and transitioning capabilities to Air Force acquisition programs. A key focus area for sensing and assessment is the development of capabilities that are reliable and robust in Air Force operational environments, such as flight in high performance aircraft. In response to operational concerns regarding physiological events in flight, RHB is pursuing technologies capable of monitoring and alerting pilots regarding potential concerns with their physiological state in flight. - b. Approach The effort will focus on the integration, validation, and demonstration of existing sensor technologies and assessment techniques, both Government-owned and commercial. This request is not intended to support development or maturation of specific sensor devices but instead integrate existing technologies and render the resulting data available and actionable. A non-exhaustive list of technologies that should be considered for integration follows. Integration Platforms The hardware used to accomplish integration of multiple sensor devices must be self-contained, self-powered, and small and lightweight enough to easily integrate into the cockpit. Small form factor computing, including smartphone or tablet platforms, is desirable to enable minimal additional devices that must be integrated in aircrew ensembles. Wireless connectivity (such as BlueTooth Low Energy) is possible. Associated software design standards are expected to be Government provided, specifically the Cognitive Operations Gear PackTM (COG PackTM) architecture Air Quality Monitoring The technical area covers aircraft life support system provided air quality, typically assessed via in-line sensor technologies. Air quality should include at a minimum oxygen, carbon dioxide, pressure, and flow, with ability to detect likely contaminants highly desirable. COG PackTM COG PackTM is an emerging Government open architecture API standard proposed to define the process for enabling ingestion, storage, processing, and publishing/retransmission of data from multiple sensor inputs. The COG PackTM API has been designed to be broadly applicable to both laboratory and operational data collection. Pilot Vital Signs Sensor systems that provide direct or indirect evidence of pilot circulation, blood or tissue oxygenation, heart or pulse rate and variability, along with derived metrics such as SpO2, estimated core temperature, respiration rate etc. Flight Environment This addresses the provision of basic environmental parameters such as cabin pressure, temperature, and acceleration that are provided as part of another component or a separate component. Respiratory Function At a minimum, respiration rate data is desired. It is also desirable to address work of breathing and metabolic output. Data Storage & Processing The integration platform must provide sufficient space and computing power to enable a minimum 9 hours and desired 12 hours of data storage and processing capacity. Postflight, the system should offload into a repository for long-term retention. Onboard Analytics Onboard analytics need to be capable of generating derived parameters, applying decision rules or algorithms, and generating alerts to the pilot that are specific as to recommended corrective action(s). Pilot Alerting The system must provide pilot alerts that are easily perceptible and interpretable. Ideally this component would utilize multimodal alerting (i.e. visual, auditory, and/or haptic) to maximize probability of pilot receiving the alert. - c. Description The Airman Bioengineering Division requests an assessment of industry's ability to support the proposed work in the key technical research areas outlined above. Key considerations should include (but are not limited to): (1) Technical Feasibility; (2) Performance; (3) Resource Availability; (4) Cost. - d. Assumptions The purpose of this RFI is to obtain information specifically related to research in the technical areas outlined above. It can be assumed: (1) Applied, and Advanced Experimental demonstration may be required. (2) Access to AFRL/RHB's internal resources (personnel, equipment, facilities, etc.) may be available when coordinated or expressed use is given. - e. Response Based on the information presented above, responding parties will provide a statement of interest on company letterhead and include the following information: (1) Discuss any previous and current experience in the technical research areas. (2) Discuss any company organizations, facilities, or capabilities that can be used to support the nine technical areas. (3) Discuss any partnerships you may pursue in order to ensure your ability to support the technical areas. Be as specific as possible. (4) Discuss your approach to designing and conducting research and technical studies. - 4. REQUIRED RESPONSE, FORMAT, & SUBMISSION Limit RFI responses to five (5) single-sided, single-spaced pages. This page limit is to be treated as a maximum and RFI responses containing fewer pages will be accepted. Responses must be unclassified and any Proprietary information provided must be marked accordingly. To protect such data, each line or paragraph on the pages containing such data must be specifically identified and marked with a legend similar to the following: "The following contains proprietary information that (name of Responder) requests not be released to persons outside of the Government, except for the purposes of review and evaluation." Note: See Format and Page Limitations and Submission of Documentation paragraphs for additional instructions. Responses are due no later than 11 October 2019, 1500 EDT. Submit responses via email to james.christensen.7@us.af.mil and joseph.mizzi@us.af.mil. 5. REQUESTS FOR CLARIFICATION A responder may request clarification in writing from the Contracting Office for any of this Request for Information that is unclear by sending an e-mail to the contracting points of contact above. Any requests for clarification must be received no later than five (5) business days prior to the close of this RFI in order to receive a timely response. Clarifications may be posted on the RFI announcement website to benefit all interested responders. Interested responders are encouraged to periodically check the website during the response period for clarifications. 6. DISCLAIMER This is a Request for Information (RFI) to obtain information about capabilities and market information related to the technology of interest for planning purposes. This RFI is not a request for competitive proposals; therefore, responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Companies that respond will not be paid for the information submitted. No telephone calls will be accepted requesting a bid package or solicitation. All information received shall be safeguarded from unauthorized disclosure. Responses must be unclassified and any proprietary information provided must be marked accordingly. 7. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION All responsible sources may submit information in response to this RFI. Please note: the Government is not required to provide feedback to RFI responders. Direct all inquiries to the Contracting Points of Contact listed above. An Industry Day (Open House) will be conducted at Wright-Patterson AFB on 18 December 2019. If the respondent wishes to attend this one day event, it is required that notification via email be provided to james.christensen.7@us.af.mil no later than 8 November 2019, 1500 EDT. Any notification past this date will not be processed. Also, at most two (2) individuals per company will be permitted to attend this one day event. Those wishing to attend must be a US citizen and must provide the Technical POC with all of the following information in order to gain base access: 1). full name exactly how it appears on the driver's license/identification card of each attendee; 2). a valid email address for each attendee; and 3). each attendee's full driver's license/identification card number and the state of issue.