Army readies plans to ask industry for wearable electronics sensors able to detect medical ailments
FREDERICK, Md. – U.S. Army medical researchers are ready to approach industry for high-reliabilitywearable electronics sensors able to quantify thermal work strain, changes in electromyography that indicate muscular injury, neurocognitive changes that suggest compromised brain function, and early signs of illness.
Officials of the The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity in Frederick, Md., issued a presolicitation Thursday (MTEC-18-07-HRAPS) for the Health Readiness and Performance System (HRAPS) Wearable Physiological Sensor Development (HRAPS) project.
The Army released this solicitation on behalf of the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC) in Summerville, S.C. -- a biomedical technology consortium that works with government agencies like the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC).
The upcoming request for project proposals (RPP) seeks to modify a pre-existing wearable sensor into a prototype device in the lab and in the field to help determine design for manufacturing, manufacturing setup costs, and a first-article manufacturing run.
The U.S. government has about $2.4 million available for this 24-month project for one contractor. Follow-on work may integrate this modified wearable sensor into a suite of wearable sensors, and pursue regulatory clearance with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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The upcoming HRAPS RFP will be in two stages: white papers, and full proposals. Those submitting white papers must be MTEC members. More information on MTEC membership is online at https://mtec-sc.org/how-to-join-2.
MTEC helps the USAMRMC by providing technologies and life cycle management to move medical solutions to industry. MTEC will host a proposers conference via webinar tentatively scheduled for 1 week after the release of the RPP.
Technology requirements and a statement of work will be released with the upcoming HRAPS RFP.
Email technical questions to Dr. Lauren Palestrini, MTEC director of research, at [email protected] .
More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USA/USAMRAA/DAMD17/MTEC-18-07-HRAPS/listing.html.
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John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
