Johnson Engineering Corporation, 555 Forge River Rd., Suite 150, Webster, TX 77598

A -- RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, FOOT GROUND INTERFACE Contact, Bonnie B. Beale, Sr. Buyer, 713/480-8101, X205. Foot Ground Interface (FGI) system for the International Space Station (ISS), Bonnie Beale, Sr. Buyer, 713/480-8101, Ext. 205. Johnson Engineering Corporation (JE) is a prime contractor (NAS9-18800) to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston, Texas. JE supports the Flight Crew Support Division (FCSD). The FGI will be integrated onboard the ISS as an instrumentation system payload of the Human Research Facility (HRF). The FGI will provide a primary means to measure dynamic pressure of both the left and right feet through sensor pads and provide data on the patterns of pressure distribution of crew members during normal work, training and exercise routines. The FGI shall be capable of operating autonomously in a data acquisition mode or in conjunction with the ISS Personal Computer, HRF Workstation, HRF Rack Mounted Data Acquisition System, and Ambulatory Data Acquisition System. The FGI shall consist of 2 flexible insole inserts, cables that run from the insoles to the waist along each leg, and a waist pack. The waist pack will contain the signal processing, data storage, and batteries along with control switches and status indicators for battery life and storage capacity. Software will also be provided that will be used to display and analyze the data. The FGI will be a standalone instrument capable of recording data on an internal storage device and transmitting data through an RS422 serial interface. The overall accuracy of the FGI will be +/-5% with typical hysteresis of 3%. The FGI will be software selectable from 6 sensor regions per foot (rearfoot, midfoot, medial metatarsal head, lateral metatarsal heads, hallux, lesser toes) to 99 sensors per foot. The FGI will require setup and calibration by the use of the on-board flight calibration device, and the HRF laptop computer via the RS422 port. The FGI sensor pads will be capacitative sensors capable of at least 60,000 loading cycles per sensor pad. The FGI shall operate in the temperature range of 10 degrees C to 40 degrees C. The FGI shall have a software selectable maximum force in any one of the six regions of 50/100/500/1000 N. The FGI shall have a frequency of operation of 50 frames/sec (i.e., 9900 sensors, aggregate for the 6 channels). Cross talk shall be less than 40 dB. The FGI shall be capable of drawing power from a rechargeable portable battery pack consisting of nickel metal hydride batteries as the means of primary power. The FGI shall draw less than 15 watts from the GFE power reducing cable. The noise level of the FGI shall be at or below 40 dB(A) when measured 3 ft. from the FGI. The on-board calibration device will consist of a compression device that will provide a stable load to the foot pad. The calibration will be capable of generating a pressure of 5, 10, 20, 40, 80 N/cm2. The FGI shall weigh less than 7 (+-2) lb. The FGI shall fit in a volume of (300 in3). The FGI shall be designed to operate after withstanding a cabin air temperature range of 2.2 degrees C to 48.9 degrees C. The FGI shall operate at a controlled cabin temperature range (high or low) of 18.3 degrees C to 29.4 degrees C. Interested sources are requested to submit a Statement of Capabilities (SOC) within 15 calendar days of the publication date of this notice. Include the following relevant experience with the SOC: 1) History of operations in regard to virtual reality, 2) Examples of similar work, 3) Examples of company-developed FGI systems, 4) Business status (e.g., small disadvantaged or woman-owned business, small or large) and 5) description of facilities/tools, etc. All firms submitting an SOC will be considered and any subsequent solicitation will be issued to the sources that JE has determined to have the best potential to successfully perform the specified work. JE does not intent to pay for information received as a result of the synopsis. (247)

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