aquaLinkFitbit for America’s Divers

Navy divers perform challenging tasks under difficult conditions that have long-lasting health impacts.

How might we protect both the short- and long-term physical health of our nation’s divers?

aquaLink is a wearable device that records data critical to diver health and safety, and makes it actionable through real-time alerts and post-usage analytics.

TEAM

Dave Ahern: International Policy/Defense AcquisitionHong En Chew: Hardware EngineeringRachel Olney: Product DesignSamir Patel: Mechatronics/Finance

SPONSOR

Brian Ferguson & U.S. Navy Special Warfare Group 3U.S. Special Operations Commandaqua

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MILITARY LIAISONS

Todd CimicataChris ConleyJameson Darby

ADVISORSColin SupkoBob BrakemanRay DickMike HardAdrian MantoiuSean MurphyBooze Allen Hamilton

Pro

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s Customer Interviews

10This Week

20All Time

Key Takeaways from Class

In addition to our initial focus on NEDU as the key stakeholder to evaluate/certify new devices, we have to figure out how who’s who in the acquisition process for

NSWG3/SOCOM and which of these people we need to get buy-in from.

Our problem is a gap that ideally would become a requirement and we need to figure out which organizations within the DoD would own this requirement, which have suitable

types on funding, and who else within the DoD/IC would be interested in a solution.

Hypotheses going into Week 2● Vitals and Data

○ The diver’s priority is mission success, vitals monitoring is not critical to that (as opposed to comms and geolocation) and a device that does only that will not get buy-in from divers.

● Communication○ They want to improve communication links between different dive pairs and between dive pairs

and the troop commander on the SDV.

● Geolocation○ They want to have reliable and accurate geolocation that provides overall situational awareness.

“An Hour in the Life”

Communication Link MVP

Vitals Monitoring MVP

“Suppose we could deliver this - is this what you are actually looking

for?”

Hypotheses going into Week 3● Vitals and Data

○ Divers will want real-time alerts regarding vitals (and put up with the additional gear/procedures) if and only if the alerts notify them of issues that threaten mission success.

○ Researchers want data on vitals beyond the mission-critical ones, and data from the rebreather rig gauges (air consumption), and data from the dive computer (dive profile).

● Communication○ The most critical comm channel yet to be adequately realized is two-way comms between the

troop commander on the SDV and the diver pair(s) operating away from the SDV.

● Geolocation○ Requirements (resolution, range) are highly dependent on the particular use case, and current

methods are full of pain points but no single problem is seen as top priority to solve.

Customer DiscoveryHypotheses Experiments Results Actions

Real-time vitals information is not as important as the vitals for long term research because real-time data will not change the mission

Stakeholder interviews. All customers so far have confirmed this. However, we are refining our view of “short-term”.

Consider data in 3 phases:1. During the mission:

emergency alerts only2. After the dive: for rest

period diagnostics3. Long-term: for research

on dive health prognostics

They want to improve communication both within a dive pair and between the SDV and dive pairs.

Used communication link diagram to determine how critical and adequate each link is.

Within a buddy team they already have a communication procedures. What they are lacking is pair-to-pair communication and pair-to-SDV team communication

Focus on looking at communication from pair-to-pair and pair-to-SDV

They want to have reliable and accurate geolocation that provides overall situational awareness.

Stakeholder interviews. Geolocation requirements (resolution, range) are highly dependent on the particular use case; current methods exist but are full of pain points.

Differentiate the use cases and their requirements, determine if additions to the existing system can enhance current relative situational awareness

Mission Model

- Need funding from sponsors for further R&D/manufacturing - Need evaluation/ certification by NEDU before field deployment- Early adopters- Operators Must Benefit During Mission for Buy-In

KEY PARTNERS KEY ACTIVITIES

KEY RESOURCES

VALUE PROPOSITION BUY-IN / SUPPORT

DEPLOYMENT

BENEFICIARIES

MISSION BUDGET MISSION ACHIEVEMENT FACTORS

- Problem sponsors: Navy Special Warfare Group 3 (NSWG 3), U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM)- Military diver-related research organizations: Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU), SOCOM Human Performance Resource Center, Naval Underwater Medical Institute (NUMI)- Commercial partners: medical device/wearables companies, mil-spec dive equipment manufacturers

- Fundamental cycle: hypotheses -> MVP (rapid prototyping of hardware/ software) -> stakeholder interviews to evaluate MVP -> pivot and repeat

- Defence procurement expertise: course staff, sponsors, DIUX, liaisons- User expertise: military divers, scientific divers- Medical expertise: med sch, SOCOM HPRC

- Hardware/software prototyping costs (RDT&E from NEDU or SOCOM)

- Purchase of existing products on the market for evaluation (NSWG3 or NAVSOC N-8).

1. Feasibility: At the end of the quarter, NSWG3/SOCOM decide that our proposal merits further development and initiates their internal processes for funding/pilot testing/field deployment

2. Performance: Our prototype should demonstrate that all critical features can be integrated within given size/weight/cost specs

3. User satisfaction: Divers are excited develop SOP to upload data as part of recovery process.

- Obtain device validation and approval from NEDU- Pilot test with a select group of users in NSWG3 - Scale up to many units in and beyond NSWG3

- Medical Staff: Create the Navy’s first long-term repository of diver health data: detailed dataset to improve training/operation protocols and predict and prevent long-term injuries

Direct users in NSWG3 and other military divers

Military diver-related research organizations e.g. NEDU, SOCOM HPRC, NUMI

- Divers: Seamless integration of real-time vital monitoring, geolocation, and communication Integrate vital and system monitoring: alerts protect diver from short-term injuries

NAVSOC/SOCOM Procurement Specialist. (Initiated by NSWG3’s N8, approved by NEDU testing.)

AquaLink Value Proposition Naval Special Warfare Group 3

-Develop tailored platform to sync individual diver data in central repository accessible by medical professionals

- Synchronize oxygen system and vital monitoring through wireless connection system- Possibility of co-opting existing commercial communication device (UDI)

Wearable Sensors and Data

Repository

-Extremely proficient and adaptive divers-Access to world class medical professionals and performance coaches-Relatively agile procurement/acquisition process

- No singular interface for all Dive information-No ability to monitor vitals in real time-No ability to maintain flexible communication between divers-No overall locational situational awareness

Conduct underwater

operations for the U.S. Military

Value Proposition Canvas

Work Flow

NSWG 3NSWG 1/2 NSWG 4 NSWG 10 DEVGRU NSWC

NSW

SOCOM US Navy

Staff Staff

S&TL J8 HPRC N8 NEDU

UHPI

SDVT-1

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