A -- CONTINOUS ASSISTED PERFORMANCE (CAP) PROGRAM WORKSHOP

Notice Date

June 29, 2001

Contracting Office

Other Defense Agencies, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Contracts Management Office, 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA, 22203-1714

ZIP Code

22203-1714

Description

Continuous Assisted Performance (CAP) Program Workshop SN01-16. The Defense Sciences Office (DSO) of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is sponsoring a team-forming workshop on sustaining high-level cognitive performance with the purpose of developing concepts that will lead to a dramatic increase in mission endurance of individual soldiers. This workshop will be held August 21-23, 2001, at the Imperial Palace Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada. The goal of this workshop is to explore all facets of research necessary to create new technologies based on increasing the lethality and effectiveness (Operational Dominance) of the warfighter by preventing the degradation of cognitive performance that occurs as a result of sleep deprivation. The Continuous Assisted Performance (CAP) program workshop will address a fundamental limiting factor in future military operations -- the warfighter's ability to resist fatigue and sleep deprivation -- that is the key to achieving the objectives of Joint Vision 2010 and beyond. As the technical capabilities of systems become more advanced and less vulnerable to failure, the operator becomes the weakest link. Extending the capabilities and the duty cycle of the warfighter makes them more effective. CAP recognizes that this is a very hard problem and that past attempts have resulted in only modest and imperfect improvements. However, it is believed that through both the significant biomedical science advances that have occurred in the past decade and the proposed aggressive multidisciplinary approaches discussed at this workshop that a number of different strategic approaches will be developed to prevent the effects of sleep deprivation over an extended period of time, nominally set at 7 days (24/7). The multidisciplinary approaches described below are examples of potential strategies to solve the multi-factorial problem of sleep deprivation using parallel focused effort and integrating the approaches at the time when milestone accomplishments warrant. Thus, at appropriate times in the program the individual approaches will be combined at independent testing sites to determine if the combinations offer any greater benefit that the simple arithmetic sum of each approach. Technology topics include but are not limited to neuroscience, neurobiology, cognitive psychology, cell signaling/regulation, non-invasive imaging technologies and novel mathematical approaches to modeling and analysis, but no system concepts will be excluded from consideration. CAP will address each of the component issues by identifying and validating model systems that isolate the component neurological process. Understanding the integration and responses of these models will give us the necessary information for mathematical modeling and provide detailed information on what and by how much sleep deprivation changes the system and causes system failure. CAP assumes that the summation of multiple small system changes are likely the basis of the effects seen. Therefore, the program is particularly concerned with developing very precise measurement systems and in new ways to control for adventitious activation of brain regions (noise). As we identify critical vulnerabilities, these become the targets for pharmacological manipulation. To accomplish the goal we will need to develop truly new technology and new concepts in neurology. The workshop agenda will feature several technology and concept overview presentations by government personnel and several poster session forums including brief oral presentations to facilitate interaction and team prospecting amongst the participants. Participants are strongly encouraged to prepare posters and very short summary overview presentations describing areas of capabilities and interest. A short abstract of each poster presentation is requested and will be distributed to all participants at the workshop. Participants will be allowed 5 minutes to present an executive summary of their poster. Please access the Continuous Assisted Performance website, http://safe.sysplan.com/cap_meeting/, for workshop details including registration and abstract submission. Participants are strongly encouraged to visit the Continuous Assisted Performance teaming website at http://teaming.sysplan.com/CAP/ to enable additional teaming opportunities for those unable to attend the workshop or those who would like to initiate teaming arrangements beforehand. All program related presentations as well as minutes from the workshop will be posted on the CAP program website as soon as possible after the close of the meeting. This announcement is NOT a request for proposals. CAP solicitation information can be obtained at http://www.darpa.mil/dso/ under Solicitations. The workshop registration fee is $250.00 and is inclusive of all workshop activities. Registration cutoff is August 6, 2001. Space is limited and it is strongly recommended that you register early. For further information regarding the workshop contact via e- mail at BAA01-28@darpa.mil. Please include "Continuous Assisted Performance Workshop" in the subject line.

Web Link

Visit this URL for the latest information about this (http://www.eps.gov/spg/ODA/DARPA/CMO/SN01-16/listing.html)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010703/SPMSC016.HTM (D-180 SN50Q4Q1)