SOURCES SOUGHT
59 -- Accelerometer Recorder
- Notice Date
- 6/6/2007
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- Contracting Office
- RDECOM Acquisition Center - Aberdeen, ATTN: AMSSB-ACC-A, 4118 Susquehanna Avenue, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21005-3013
- ZIP Code
- 21005-3013
- Solicitation Number
- W91CRB07ACCEL
- Response Due
- 6/22/2007
- Archive Date
- 8/21/2007
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Description - This is a Request for Information/Sources Sought Notice to identify manufacturers with a capability with miniaturized electronics technology in high speed data recorders suitable for the measurement of human injury mechanisms associated with blast and impact. The device is intended to be worn or mounted to Soldier helmets and would measure acceleration shock during blast events. Device would not present any harm to the individual wearing the recorder device. The candidate technologies su bmitted for consideration would allow measurement of head (not merely helmet) acceleration during an impact or sudden motion scenario for soldiers engaged in their normal or combat activities in the field while wearing their standard issue equipment. As h ead acceleration has long been considered to be a measure of brain trauma; our ultimate goal is to not merely capture data from which to improve protection schemes of the future, but also to understand the threshold of concussion and other brain injury due to direct (or indirect) head impacts. We are not aware of any system that is available to measure either local or global brain deformation in either discreet events or cumulative intervals. The government is seeking to improve the current Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) into a system that is capable of collecting both acceleration and other input data including pressure/temperature. The concept is to create an unobtrusive/unencumbered data coll ection system that can be used in the field to understand and characterize the effects of blast on brain injury. Key features of this system include the ability to store seconds/minutes worth of continuous data to ensure primary, secondary, and tertiary e ffects of blast are captured while featuring low power consumption via some power management mechanism for long term use without requiring intervention, and a high data sample rate with multiple channels of data. Our primary objective is to ascertain the state-of-industry with respect to achieving a fully plug-and-use system for the soldier while balancing the needs of the researchers and medical personnel. Basic features: (1) Data recorder - record and accurately characterize blast/shock events with frequency content 10 100 kHz and pressure -20 to 500 PSI with appropriate anti-alias hardware filtering with a potentially six degree of freedom acceleration e vent of 0 to 1000-6000 g and 0 to 50,000 rad/s2), (acceleration levels with a potential risk of injury from falls, motor vehicle crashes, blast and ballistic events) (2) Packaging small with ability to insert/attach into helmets or worn on body (ear), s ize small, less than 2 inch diameter and less than 1 inch thick. Total system mass including power supply should be less than 250 g (3) Power - operations self powered, portable, with ability to operate for duration of several months, ease of battery replacement and longer battery performance a desirable trade off. The system should have no data loss or breaks with cumulative data tracks by having to change power supply (4) Low maintenance, (5) data retrieval means to download, retrieve data evaluat e the data gathered to determine health limits/thresholds (6) Producibility ability to be produced in quantity and cost effective (7) Desirable - seek concepts on how to integrate the item into the existing Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH). (8) Technologies demonstrated should consistently perform in shock, vibration, electro-magnetic, and thermal environmental conditions typical of Army field operations today. (9) It is desirable that technologies demonstrated operate passively and do not increase RF signatu res. (10) Information capture within candidate technologies should register a high-degree of resolution or forecasting in data recorded along an impact axis that is oblique relative to the xyz frames of reference. (11) Candidate technologies should not int erfere with operations/performance of other equipage a combat soldier might utilize (e.g. radio). Background Agencies such as DARPA hosted discussions related to the goal of better understanding blast injuries that are occurring in the theater. It is clear that there are a large number of head injuries occurring due to direct impact from ordinance o r shrapnel, and blast induced injuries due to pressure waves. We need to review technologies that are designed or can be applied to measurement of the REAL impacts that occur in the field. We believe these data can be used to help improve combat helmet d esign, situational protocols/procedures, and other human engineering factors. Furthermore, we believe that existing technology will allow field commanders to know, in real-time, if their soldiers have sustained a head injury which requires medical attentio n (i.e. technology is as much a performance monitor as it is an injury monitor). Eventual fielding of these technologies to front line units that are likely to sustain blast injuries in the theatre may provide instant field feedback on performance and injury. Ideally, use of available technologies will provide critically sought bio-eng ineering and medically clinical (diagnostic and prognostic) information on the actual blast environment in a non-obtrusive way -. Additionally, instrumented helmets can be used in jump training at Ft. Benning, and in other training environments to protect the Army's investment in its soldiers and to better understand training or combat-related injuries. All of this real time information would also be used to better define next generation helmet design for reducing the incidence and severity of brain injur y. This is a high priority item for the Army. Participation Requirements - Source must have a functional system. To be considered for this sources sought, the source must submit technical information in a 2 10 page paper, and test data explaining the performance of their system, to include the techn ical approach and system operations. Sources must prepare a separate 2 page paper describing manufacturing capability, cost and delivery schedule, and capability to produce. Source must also present their operational demonstration model and paper during th e period tentative scheduled 26 June 6 July 2007 to PM Soldier Equipment. Include all appropriate MSDS sheets/ safety/ health information. Source must submit all required information no later than 22 June 2007, item may be hand carried to briefing demons tration. Evaluation Process - This is a sources sought notice seeking potential technology sources for high speed event recorder. This process may not lead to a procurement or contract of any kind. All submitted items/information will be reviewed to ensure complian ce with the stated sources sought notice. The government reserves the right to perform additional tests on all submitted items. Submitted information will not be returned. Demonstration models will be returned. It may be requested to retain the item for cl arification for a short period. This is not a request for proposal or quotation. No solicitation document exists. This is not to be construed as a commitment by the government to procure these items. If as a source you can meet these qualifications please submit all required information and samples by COB 22 June 2007 to PM Soldier Equipment, Attn: MAJ Bob Schaffer, APM, PM Soldier Survivability, 10170 Beach Road, Building 328T, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060. Point of contact: MAJ Bob Schaffer, Assistant Product Manager, PM Soldier Survivability, email william.r.schaffer@us.army.mil, Telephone 703-704-1520.
- Place of Performance
- Address: PM Soldier Survivability 10170 Beach Road, Building 328T Fort Belvoir VA
- Zip Code: 22060
- Country: US
- Zip Code: 22060
- Record
- SN01311684-W 20070608/070607035140 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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