small business advocate u.s. army natick soldier research...

A Federal Buyer’s Perspective –

Forecast Opportunities

Philip R. Varney

Small Business Advocate

U.S. Army

Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center

Environmental Business Council of New England

Energy Environment Economy

Army Laboratory Assessment Group (ALAG) Visit

Dr. Ken Oscar (ALAG Visit Lead), Vice President of Strategy, Fluor Government Group

Mr. Philip Brandler, Director (Ret), NSRDEC

Dr. C. William Gear, President Emeritus, NEC Research Institute

Dr. W. Dave Sincoskie, Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Delaware

Ms. Carolyn Nash, Executive Secretary ALAG & Deputy Director for Army Laboratory Management, ASAALT

Mr. Philip Varney

Natick Soldier

Research,

Development and

Engineering

Center

December 12, 2013

NSRDEC

Overview

UNCLASSIFIED / FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY 2

UNCLASSIFIED / FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY 3

Natick Soldier Systems Center Natick, MA

In operation since 1954

~ 1200 employees

Organizations at the

Natick Soldier Systems Center

Science &

Technology

Sustainment

& Support

Development

& Engineering

NSRDEC Army’s R&D Organization of the Year 2001, 2003 thru 2006,

2008 & 2009

Natick Soldier RD&E Center

Focused on the Soldier Domain

Mission:

– RD&E To Maximize the Warfighter’s

Survivability, Sustainability, Mobility,

Combat Effectiveness and Field

Quality of Life by Treating the

Warfighter as a System

– Adding Value Through:

• Technology Generation,

Application, and Transition

Enabling Rapid Fielding of the

Right Equipment

• Soldier Systems Technology

Integration and Transition

• Solving Field Problems Rapidly

Vision:

– To be the Recognized Center for

Warfighter and Homeland Defender

Related Research, Technologies

and Systems

Clothing & Protective Equipment

Transformation to the Future Force and Supporting

the Current Fight with the Warfighter

as the Centerpiece of the Formation

Airdrop/ Aerial Delivery

Expeditionary Base Camps

Soldier/SCU Technology Maturation

and Demonstration

Human Systems Integration Sciences

Joint Service Combat Feeding

Supporting Sciences

5 UNCLASSIFIED / FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

Human Systems Integration

Sciences

• Anthropometry

• Biomechanics

• Behavioral & Cognitive Sciences

• Human Factors/ MANPRINT

• Sensory & Consumer Research

• Modeling & Analysis

• Soldier and Small Combat Unit Performance

Expanded knowledge

base on how

nutritional status and

affective state impact

cognitive

performance,

training, leadership,

and system design

recommendations for

mitigating cognitive

decrements due to

contextual factors

Developed first-generation

software tool for design and

prototype assessment of

extremity body armor using a

physics-based, biomechanical

model to predict Soldier

performance on a select set of

output measures

Conducted a series

of studies

examining effects of

Soldier states,

cognitive heuristics,

mental imagery

formation, and

motivations on the

ability to generate

and use spatial

memory of complex

environments

Determined the

quantifiable impact of the

biomechanical,

physiological, physical,

and cognitive performance

effects of a Soldier Load

(SL) configuration

comprised of clothing and

equipment in current use

and a lighter Modified

Soldier Load (ML)

configuration with the

same functionality

Leveraging to conduct large scale Army

anthropometric survey (ANSUR II) in

conjunction with Marine Corps survey

(MC-ANSUR) to generate data supporting

design, sizing, and tariffing of clothing

and equipment; computer aided design of

workstations, workspaces, and vehicles;

and 3D solid modeling of body curvatures

and shapes for enhanced personnel

protective equipment.

MANPRINT and Human

Factors field

evaluations conducted

with common goal of

providing Warfighters

with the best gear

possible

Identifying neuro-cognitive

processes and states in

mounted and dismounted

operational environments,

techniques for adapting navigation

display technologies to account for

changes in Soldier status and a

predictive model of spatial cognition

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Hooah.jpg

Clothing and Protective Equipment

• Body Armor

• Combat Clothing

• Microclimate Conditioning

• Chemical Protective Gear

• Load Carriage

• Handwear

• Footwear

• Eyewear

• Environmental Clothing

• S&T Thrust Areas

– Chemical/Biological Barrier Materials

– Ballistic Protective Materials

– Directed Energy (Eye) Protection

– Environmental Protection

– Camouflage

– Multifunctional Materials

Demonstrated

capability to produce a

ballistic helmet shell

that exhibits an average

of 25% improved

ballistic protection as

compared to the

current state-of-the-art

Army Combat Helmet

(ACH)

Rapidly developed & implemented a

revolutionary computerized pattern-in-picture

(PIP) camouflage testing methodology to

objectively assess 57 digitally produced

uniform / personal protective equipment

combos in relevant terrains

Developed prototypes of

Chemical/Biological Self-

Decontaminating

Membranes; transition to

FY10 Future CB

Ensemble/ Ground Solider

System and FY11 Uniform

Integrated Protective

Ensemble (UIPE)

Designed improved Yoke/Collar (in support

of PM-SPE) to be used with the Improved

Outer Tactical Vest (IOTV); Improvements

made to shape, comfort, materials, and

method of attachment to keep system in

correct protective position

Developed a

fundamentally new type

of optical element that

has outstanding

properties and the

ability to react both

actively and passively

Completed Phase I

concept development,

design, fabrication,

evaluation and

technology assessments

for fourteen garment

prototypes based on two

general garment concepts for the highly

collaborative, NSRDED-led Future CB Ensemble

Technology Demonstration

• Technology Integration

• Systems Integration

• Human Systems Integration

• S&T Thrust Areas:

– Unmanned Systems & Warfighter Technology

– National Protection Center

– Soldier Systems Integration & Experimentation

– Modeling & Analysis

– Soldier Mobility & Mission Effectiveness

– Soldier C4 Interfaces, Power & Lethality

– Soldier Integrated Protection

◘

Providing an increase in

the number of available

channels, increased

range, improved video

quality, relay capability,

and encryption for the

Digital Data Link (DDL) for

the Raven Small

Unmanned Aerial System

and the Class I Block 0

Micro Air Vehicle

IWARS Version 2.0 Upgrade

provides representation of a

local Common Operational

Picture (COP) and User

Defined Operational Picture

(UDOP) & linked with other

simulations

Partnering with

NSA and CERDEC

to develop an NSA

approved wireless

Personal Area

Network (WPAN)

Providing Small Combat

Unit Commanders and

Soldiers with real time

network fires, planning,

accurate target location

and identification, and

target handoff

Developing an

optimized integrated

headgear system for

Mounted and

Dismounted

Soldiers to provide

tailored protection,

functionalities and

capabilities for the

Small Combat Unit

Participated in the following FY09

Experiments:

• Command, Control, Communications,

Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance,

and Reconnaissance on The Move (PM

C4ISR-OTM 09)

• Joint Forces Experiments (JFEX)

• Air Assault Expeditionary Force (AAEF)

• MBL and AEWE Soldier Assessments

• Future Combat Systems (FCS)

• Follow-on Assessment of Soldier

Systems Technology Maturity

product and Application Module platform

under Soldier Planning Interfaces &

Networked Electronics (SPINE) ATO

Soldier / Small Combat Unit Technology Maturation & Demonstration

Airdrop/Aerial Delivery • Personnel Parachuting Systems

• Cargo Airdrop Systems


– Precision Airdrop (sensors, guidance & control systems)

– Integrated Logistics Aerial Resupply

– Modeling and Simulation

– Parachutist Safety

– Test Instrumentation

– Materials Research

At the end of FY09, the

number of supplies

airdropped in

Afghanistan nearly

doubled to more than

32.3 million lbs. by

JPADS and ICDS using

JPADS-Mission Planner

Low Cost Low Altitude Airdrop System

800 missions / 3,200 bundles per year

120,000 lbs. per month of supplies

delivered at 80% reduced cost

Successfully demonstrated

Joint Improvised Explosive

Device Defeat Organization

(JIEDDO) Improved Container

Delivery System (ICDS) which

provides a low cost, one-time

use 10K lbs airdrop system

as an IED defeat mechanism Use of Fluid-Structure

Interaction (FSI) analysis

software to simulate the

dynamics of experimental

drop test parachutes and

inventory systems

LCADS production

rates surged from

75 to 3,000 per

month; taught five

non-conventional

parachute

manufacturers to

manufacture,

inspect and pack

LCADS high

velocity and low

velocity parachutes

to maintain on-

schedule, rapid

responses.

JPADS technologies

successful in the Ultra

Light Weight (200-700

lbs.) and Micro Light

Weight (10-150 lbs.)

weight classes for

medical, sensor, robot

and other payloads under

the Joint Medical Distance

Support & Evacuation

(JMDSE) Joint Capability

Technology

Demonstration (JCTD)

• Softwall Shelters

• Rigidwall Shelters

• Integrated Expeditionary

Base Camp Systems

• S&T Thrust Areas

– Barrier Materials

– Structures

– Thermal Management

– Energy Management

– Finite Element Analysis

– Ballistics

Supported deployment

of Large Area

Maintenance

Shelters (LAMS) for

helicopter and

vehicle maintenance

• 26 missions

• 25 new LAMS

• 11 RESET

• on 4 continents

Modular Ballistic Protective

Shelter (MBPS) received

Safety Confirmation and

Capabilities and

Limitations Records

Developed single and

three-phase mircro-grid

for shelter systems to

accommodate battery

storage, generator

power and renewable

energy sources in a

smart grid

Partnered with Marine

Corps, PM Force

Sustainment Systems and

industry to develop and

evaluate shelter systems

with integral renewable

energy technologies for

base camp applications

Analyzed baseline Force

Provider system

performance and leveraged

technology to develop

system upgrades for

enhanced energy efficiency

and system effectiveness

Developed prototypes to replace

existing Marine Corps

Communications Electronics

Equipment Maintenance Complex

utilizing One-Side and Two-Side

Expandable Army Standard Family

ISO Shelters

Expeditionary Base Camps

PARTNERS:

• All Services

• Combat Rations

• Field Food Service Equipment

• Combat Feeding Systems


– Energy & Equipment

– Food Safety/Biosensors

– Novel Preservation & Stabilization

– Novel Nutrient Delivery

– Revolutionary Packaging

– M&S/Logistics

Joint Service Combat Feeding

Self-Powered Tray Ration

Heater provides first full

scale application of water

cooled thermoelectric

cogeneration

New COMMZ Kitchen

Layout completed for

food preparation,

serving, and

sanitation capabilities

for a Navy Field

Hospital

Continuous Product Improvement:

Utilizing 400 Warfighters per day, 7

test menus with 27 new items were

evaluated for potential use in future

MRE™ procurements

Modular

Operational Ration

Enhancement

(MORE) High-

Altitude: Approved

in Feb 09 to meet

the needs of the

surge of troops in

Afghanistan

Hospital

NSRDEC led consortium

developed innovative

microwave sterilization

process that was accepted

by the Food and Drug

Administration (FDA) and

will have a major impact

on food safety and quality

Developed novel , Advanced

Secondary Packaging for Military

Rations that provides same level of

compressive resistance and

protection , an added water

resistance coating, and 13-40%

reduction in weight

Basic & Early Applied Research

• Nanotechnology

• Biotechnology

• Polymer Science & Engineering

• Modeling & Analysis

Developed D-FENS, an

innovative, lightweight,

energy-independent

technology for sanitizing

surfaces such as Army

Field Kitchens or for Bio-

threat Decontamination

Demonstrated the

ability to

effectively

immobilize

antimicrobial

peptides and

retain

antimicrobial

behavior

Developed an innovative “Green

Chemistry” synthetic technique to

produce substances occurring in

natural flavonoids such as green tea,

that have high antioxidant properties

as well as greater thermal stability

Synthesized novel,

eco-friendly flame

retardant (FR)

polymers and

polymer blends

Conducted novel power

generation research

using novel

nanotechnology

approaches for the

conversion of light into

electrical currents, and

for protecting

Warfighters

Applied a layer-by-layer electrostatic assembly

technique to electrospun nanofibers and used to

fabricate novel, highly breathable electrospun

fiber-based chemical and biological detoxifying

protective fabrics and filters based on the

reactive polyanion, polyhydroxamic acid, and

antimicrobial polycation, poly(N-vinyl guanidine)

Discovered a novel class of encapsulated

metal oxide nanoparticles for sensing and

photovoltaic applications

ZnO DDT-ZnO NPT-ZnO

Constructed a fundamental

molecular scale theory to

predict conditions under which

single wall carbon nanotubes

can be stably dispersed in

aqueous solutions, based on the

phenomenon of micellar

solubilization

Unclassified / For Official Use Only

Support to Current Operations Supported Overseas Contingency

Operations by deploying 3 Soldiers for 6

month rotations serving as a Science and

Technology Assistance Team. Traveled

through Area Of Responsibility meeting

with Soldiers, Commanders, and staffs to

document technology gaps and link

those gaps to R&D centers providing

solutions to the Warfighter in the U.S.,

e.g., Improvised Explosive Device Detect,

Defeat, & Deter, waterproof boots, Army

Combat Uniform for medics

Current Operations - Quick

Reaction Cell (QRC)

• Quick Response to Capability

Shortfall Requests from

OIF/OEF units

• Oversee of funding

opportunities for immediate

solution development

• Create community of practice

for rapid solution development

• S&E Field Experience with

Soldiers Program

RDECOM FAST

Video Record Integration into EOD Bomb Suit

- Funded by NSRDEC QRC

- Collaborative effort with ARL / CERDEC /

ARDEC

- Prototype in OEF for assessment

Bomb Suit Cooling Project

- Funded by NSRDEC QRC

- Coordination with OEF STAT

for prototype refinement

- Demonstration of concept at

the National Training Center

July 2010

Enhancement of Real-

time Capability and

Post Mission

Assessment

Woodland

Terrain

Desert

Terrain

Transitional

Terrain

Blends

well

Does

not

blend

Blends

well

Does

not

blend

Responded rapidly to a

Congressional directive requesting a

better camouflage for Afghanistan

by creating a quick pattern

downselection process, then

building and conducting a test to

evaluate prime candidates in

relevant terrains

OEF Camouflage Assessment

- Planning and execution of data

collection

- Conducted direct coordination with

CJTF82 S&T Team for all in-theater

actions

- Coordination with AMSAA; RDECOM HQ

- Managed against aggressive HQDA

schedule (schedule met)

The Soldier Systems Integration Domain

Soldier SID is focused on Small Combat Units (SCU) and Individual Soldiers

NSRDEC forms Communities of Practice and sets up multi-disciplinary, task-

organized teams to understand challenges, identify solution sets, and pursue the

correct technology-enabled solutions across the Enterprise.

Top Soldier / SCU S&T Priorities:

– Soldier Load

– Expeditionary Base Camp (EBC)

– Force Application at the Small Combat Unit

– Soldier Situational Awareness & Human Dimension

– SSID Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T)

EMPOWER UNBURDEN PROTECT 4

Top Technical Challenge:

Soldier Ballistic and Blast Protection

UNCLASSIFIED/FOUO

Doriot Climatic Chambers – A Unique Asset • Designed specifically to test the limits of Human

Performance under extreme conditions

• Critical to Army’s ability to design equipment that both optimizes Soldier performance and accommodates the extreme environmental conditions experienced by Soldiers and Marines.

• Primarily used for Human Research – where a dedicated group of Soldiers perform as Human Research Volunteers.

– Academia/Industry Links

• Advertised to academia or industry for equipment testing/ human studies (IRB approval)

• Contracted to several private companies for unique testing conditions unavailable at other facilities

– Date Initiated

• Most valuable physical asset – in existence since 1955 - Renovated in 1996

• Proposed $20 M Military Construction Project for enhanced capabilities.

Unique Capabilities that Foster External Industrial/Academic Partnerships

Collaboratively funded & staffed

by NSRDEC & USARIEM

Center for Military Biomechanics Research


• A 7,500 sq ft dedicated laboratory unique in DoD with state-of-the-art equipment: for: 3-D analysis of movement, measurement of external forces on the body, monitoring of muscle activity, assessment of oxygen consumption, and real- time mapping of pressure patterns

• Research focused on determining ways to avoid injury and enhance performance

• Results applied to designing Warfighter clothing and equipment, specifying the physical requirements of military occupational tasks, and developing methods to optimize military physical training program


• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Connecticut, University of Iowa, University of Kansas, University of Massachusetts, University of Rhode Island

– Operational since 1994

NSRDEC Cognitive Performance Laboratory - Virtual Reality (MOVR)

• Full view (two 12 ft W x 9 ft H) projection displays • Displays any environment (MOUT, mountains, desert), full

surround sound • User interface via wide area motion tracking with weapon

simulation • Locomotion interface via self-propelled treadmill synched with

VR system - Mobile Cognitive Assessment Platform (MoCAP)

• Head-mounted display, headset/mic, wrist keyboard, instrumented M4, GPS tracking in outdoor environments, ruggedized PDA, laptop computer carried in custom harness

• Subject-worn laptop and PDA synched w/ experimenter base station via wireless peer-to-peer and VoIP

• Physiological monitoring, gait analysis • Custom software for experimental design and data acquisition

- Eye Tracker • Real-time tracker, can be used indoors or outdoors

- Academia/Industry Links • Institute for Creative Technologies to explore and collaborate on

embedding cognitive measures within same gaming software we use

• Post doctoral (NRC) research position - Operational since June 2007


3D Laser Scanning Laboratory

• State-of-the-art whole body and head/face laser scanning systems

• Provides information about body shape critical for design and evaluation of clothing/equipment systems

• Enables measurement of body surface area and area of coverage for current and next generation armor and helmet systems


• Support to creation of anthropometrically accurate human avatars for biomechanical models; Virtual Soldier Research, Un. Of Iowa

• Head and helmet models for helmet-mounted sensors; MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics Department

– Operational on-site since 1995



Polymer Film Center of Excellence

• R&D of new plastics and nanocomposites formulations at lab scale production level

• Co-extrusion of multi-layer films

• Film characterization

• Extrusion and Compounding


• Three Test Services Agreements in place to conduct barrier testing and to process multi-layer films

• Collaborations with several large packaging companies, film manufacturers and material converters

– Operational sine June 2007

Thermal Test Facility • Propane Fire Cell – testing of clothing

systems, tents, kitchen burners. • Flame and Thermal Lab – bench scale test

equipment to test and evaluate novel polymers through finished textile materials.

• Laser Lab – test and evaluate materials for laser eye protection

– Academia/Industry Links • Establishing Joint-Service Flame & Thermal

Working Group • Working with UMass Center for Research

on Polymers to establish a regional FR Materials Research Collaborative

– Use and Occupancy Sep 07 leading to full operation in Sep 08


Fiber Center of Excellence • One-of-a-kind bi/tri-component fiber

extrusion capability that will enable the exploration of multi-functional fibers that are lightweight and reactive/responsive.

• State-of-the-art analytical capabilities

–thermal analysis

–transmission and scanning electron microscopy

–nuclear magnetic resonance

–spectroscopy, liquid chromatography/ mass spectrometry, and X-ray diffractometry

– Academia/Industry Links • Advertised to industry for collaborations,

services and technology sharing

• Program Announcement seeking local partners is currently open.

– Operational on-site since April 08


Providing Science and Engineering Support to Partners Who Field Equipment to Soldiers

Everyday Around the World

US Army Natick Soldier Research Development and Engineering Center

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