NZERO_DARPA-BAA-15-14_final_for_posting_23JAN15.pdf

Broad Agency Announcement Near Zero Power RF and Sensor Operations

Microsystems Technology Office

DARPA-BAA-15-14

January 23, 2015

Table of Contents

Part I: Overview Information Part II: Full Text of Announcement

Sec. I: FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Sec. II. AWARD INFORMATION Sec. III: ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants B. Procurement Integrity, Standards of Conduct, Ethical Considerations, and

Organizational Conflicts of Interest C. Cost Sharing/Matching D. Other Eligibility Criteria

Sec. IV: APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION A. Address to Request Application Package B. Content and Form of Application Submission

1. Security Information

2. Proprietary Information

3. Abstract Submission Information

4. Abstract Format

5. Proposal Submission Information

6. Full Proposal Format

7. Submission Dates and Times

8. Funding Restrictions

9. Other Submission Requirements

Sec. V: APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION A. Evaluation Criteria B. Review and Selection Process

Sec. VI: AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION A. Selection Notices B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

1. Meeting and Travel Requirements

2. Human Subjects Research

3. Animal Use

4. Export Control

5. Subcontracting

6. Electronic and Information Technology

7. Employment Eligibility Verification

8. System for Award Management (SAM) Registration and Universal Identifier

Requirements

9. Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards

10. Updates of Information Regarding Responsibility Matters

11. Representation by Corporations Regarding an Unpaid Delinquent Tax Liability or a

Felony Conviction under any Federal Law

12. Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) Notices and Certification

13. Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) on Non-DoD Information Systems

14. Safeguarding of Unclassified Controlled Technical Information

C. Reporting D. Electronic Systems

1. Representations and Certifications

2. Wide Area Work Flow (WAWF)

3. i-Edison

Sec. VII: AGENCY CONTACTS Sec. VIII: OTHER INFORMATION

A. Intellectual Property Procurement Contract Proposers

1. Noncommercial Items (Technical Data and Computer Software)

2. Commercial Items (Technical Data and Computer Software)

B. Non-Procurement Contract Proposers – Noncommercial and Commercial Items (Technical Data and Computer Software)

C. All Proposers – Patents D. All Proposers – Intellectual Property Representations E. Other Transactions (OTs):

Part I: Overview Information

• Federal Agency Name – Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Microsystems Technology Office (MTO)

• Funding Opportunity Title – Near Zero Power RF and Sensor Operations (N-ZERO)

• Announcement Type – Initial Announcement.

• Funding Opportunity Number – DARPA-BAA-15-14

• Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Numbers (CFDA) – 12.910 Research and

Technology Development

• Dates o Posting Date: January 23, 2015 o Abstract Due Date: February 20, 2015 o Proposal Due Date: April 23, 2015 o Estimated period of performance start: September 1, 2015

• Concise description of the funding opportunity: DARPA seeks to transform the energy efficiency of unattended sensors through elimination or substantial reduction of the stand-by power consumed by the sensors while they await a signature of interest. The improved energy efficiency is expected to result in an increase in the sensor mission lifetime from months to years. The Near Zero Power RF and Sensor Operations (N- ZERO) program aims to create intelligent sensors that can process and detect RF and physical sensor signatures, consume less than 10 nW of power, and attain a low false alarm rate of 1 per hour or better in an urban environment.

• Total amount of money available to be awarded: It is anticipated that $30M of total funding will be awarded across all technical areas – of this approximately $25M will be available for TA-1 and $5M will be available for TA-2.

• Anticipated individual awards – Multiple awards are anticipated.

• Anticipated funding type - 6.1 and/or 6.2

• Types of instruments that may be awarded – Procurement contract, grant, cooperative agreement or other transaction.

• Any cost sharing requirements – None.

• Agency contact o Dr. Troy Olsson, Program Manager BAA Coordinator: DARPA-BAA-15-14@darpa.mil

DARPA/MTO

ATTN: DARPA-BAA-15-14

675 North Randolph Street Arlington, VA 22203-2114

PROPOSERS ARE CAUTIONED THAT EVALUATION RATINGS MAY BE LOWERED

AND/OR PROPOSALS REJECTED IF PROPOSAL PREPARATION (PROPOSAL FORMAT,

CONTENT, ETC.) AND/OR SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS ARE NOT FOLLOWED.

THOSE INTENDING TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL FOR AN ASSISTANCE INSTRUMENT

(GRANT OR COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT) ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO READ

THE INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED AT SECTION IV(B)(4) REGARDING THE TIME

REQUIRED TO RECEIVE VALIDATION OF SUBMISSIONS MADE THROUGH

mailto:name@darpa.mil

GRANTS.GOV. PROPOSALS THAT ARE VALIDATED AFTER THE PROPOSAL DUE

DATE/TIME WILL BE CONSIDERED LATE AND, AS SUCH, WILL NOT BE REVIEWED.

Part II: Full Text of Announcement

Sec. I: FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency often selects its research efforts through the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) process. This BAA is being issued, and any resultant selection will be made, using procedures under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 35.016 and the Department of Defense Grant and Agreement Regulatory System (DoDGARS) Part 22 for Grants and Cooperative Agreements. Any negotiations and/or awards will use procedures under FAR 15.4, Contract Pricing, as specified in the BAA (including DoDGARS Part 22 for Grants and Cooperative Agreements). Proposals received as a result of this BAA shall be evaluated in accordance with evaluation criteria specified herein through a scientific review process.

DARPA BAAs are posted on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website, http://www.fbo.gov/, and, as applicable, the Grants.gov website at http://www.grants.gov/. The following information is for those wishing to respond to the BAA.

DARPA is soliciting innovative research proposals in the area of sensors and devices that consume near zero power. The proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.

A. Background and Description

The Department of Defense (DoD) has an unfilled need for persistent, event driven sensing capabilities, where physical, electromagnetic and other sensors can remain dormant, with near zero power consumption, until awoken by an external trigger or stimulus. State-of-the-art (SOA) sensors use active electronics to monitor the environment for the external trigger, consuming power continuously and limiting the sensor lifetime to durations of months or less. The Near Zero Power RF and Sensor Operations (N-ZERO) program intends to extend the lifetime of remotely deployed communications and environmental sensors from months to years. N-ZERO intends to develop the underlying technologies and demonstrate the capability to continuously and passively monitor the environment, and wake-up an electronic circuit upon detection of a specific trigger signature. Thus, sensor lifetime will be limited only by processing and transmission of confirmed events, or ultimately by the battery self-discharge.

By extending sensor operation life, the N-ZERO technology aims to enable new missions that apply unattended ground sensors (UGS). High density, pervasive and persistent UGS networks are desired by the DoD for missions such as force, infrastructure, and border protection (Figure 1). Often UGS are deployed to detect and communicate infrequent but time critical events. These sensors have no prior knowledge of the event occurrence. In addition to the sensors being actively powered to continuously look for the event, on-board RF receivers must http://www.fbo.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ also operate at a high duty-cycle, with correspondingly high power consumption, while awaiting infrequent transmissions from other nodes in the UGS network. In an UGS network, the power consumed by both the sensor and communications electronics waiting for infrequent events contributes significantly to the short UGS operational lifetimes.

N-ZERO will specifically focus on two broad solution areas to the challenges mentioned above:

(1) Unattended sensors monitoring for infrequent events that sense the physical environment continuously, with near zero power consumption. When an event of interest is detected and confirmed, the N-ZERO system will be capable of activating a conventional sensor suite for further sensor data collection and processing. The conventional sensor system expends power only when useful information is present.

(2) Radio receivers that are continuously alert for friendly radio transmissions, with near zero power consumption when transmissions are not present. When an RF trigger signature is detected and confirmed, the N-ZERO system will be capable of activating a conventional radio transceiver to establish an RF link. The conventional radio expends power only when useful information is communicated.

A common feature in the above is that the sensing is continuous; therefore, no events of interest or communications are missed. The near zero power requirement is defined throughout this document as the average power consumption of the N-ZERO system not exceeding 10 nW, given a specified noise background when the signature of interest is not present.

While the above two problem areas present unique challenges in terms of input signal types, levels, content, and complexity, the technical solution spaces for RF and physical sensors overlap significantly. The N-ZERO program is therefore open to receiving proposals addressing the two problem areas together or individually.

Figure 1: Wireless Unattended Ground Sensor Network for Perimeter Defense.

B. Program Objective

Consuming power to continuously sense and process irrelevant data limits the operational lifetime of UGS systems. In addition, it increases the cost of deployment, either by necessitating the use of large expensive batteries or by demanding frequent battery replacement. In applications that require small batteries, low maintenance costs, or where the sensors are difficult to place or access, important missions are currently infeasible. The N-ZERO program intends to fundamentally break the paradigm of using active power to sense infrequent, high consequence events. Instead, N-ZERO intends to exploit the energy in the signal signature itself to detect and discriminate the events of interest while rejecting noise and interference. This would enable deployments of sensors that can remain “off” (i.e., not consuming any battery power) yet alert for detecting signatures of interest, resulting in a nearly unlimited duration of operation.

The potential to extend the lifetime of an unattended ground sensor is shown in Figure 2. The solid line represents the lifetime of an existing unattended sensor device vs. the percentage of the time the signature of interest is present near the sensor. When the signature of interest is in proximity of the sensor greater than 10% of the time, the lifetime of the sensor is dominated by the active power consumed to capture and process the signature. However, when the signature of interest is in proximity of the sensor less than 1% of the time, the lifetime of the sensor is completely dominated by the low but actively powered sensor mode that continuously senses the environment in order to detect the presence of the signature of interest.

The dashed line in Figure 2 shows the calculated improvement in sensor lifetime when replacing the actively powered sensor wake-up mode with an N-ZERO based wake-up circuit. Significant improvements in sensor lifetime are achievable when the signature of interest is in proximity of the sensor less than approximately 1% of the time.

Battery leakage, active processing and N-ZERO wake-up

Battery drainage by active wake-up circuitry

Figure 2: Lifetime of an unattended sensor vs. the percentage of time the signature of interest is in proximity of and actively processed by the sensor. The solid line represents state-of-the-art (SOA) sensor performance while the dashed line is the calculated improvement in sensor lifetime using an N-ZERO wake-up sensor to detect the presence of the signature of interest.

Ultimately, the goal of the N-ZERO program is to design, build, and test devices and microsystems that exploit the energy in, and the unique features of, a signature of interest to process and detect the signature’s presence, reject noise and interference, while consuming less than 10 nW. Upon detection of a signal having the signature of interest, the N-ZERO component devices must produce a logic state capable of waking up commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) electronics for further (post wake-up) processing and signal communication. Activities that occur after wake-up (shown in the blue box in Figure 3), including development or procurement of COTS based sensors, processing and communications hardware, are not part of the effort solicited by this BAA. Furthermore, integration of COTS UGS or other post wake-up hardware with N-ZERO microsystems is not part of the effort solicited by this BAA. Figure 3 illustrates how the N-ZERO microsystem is intended to be inserted into an unattended system.

As illustrated in Figure 4, the N-ZERO subsystem is concerned with the ability to sense, process, and generate a trigger bit for wake-up of subsequent signal processing stages. The overarching program goal is to perform all required steps for signal sensing, processing, discrimination, and 1-bit quantization with a total power consumption not exceeding 10 nW. This BAA is focused on the fundamental task of taking a low energy signal signature, with a corresponding voltage in the microvolt range, and enabling it, through passive means, to active electronics. Specifically excluded are technical approaches utilizing energy harvesting from the environment (other than from the signature of interest) and optimized or alternate power sources. All additional components such as precision voltage regulators or any other component/source required by the proposer’s architecture must be included in the overall 10 nW power budget. At the same time, the N-ZERO system must sense and process inputs continuously for long deployment durations. Solutions that do not result in continuous sensing of the input, such as low power electronics operated at less than 100% duty cycles, will not be considered.

Information Interference and Noise

N-ZERO

Always ON

Sensing Confirmed events trigger wakeup of COTS modules

N-ZERO is not concerned with optimization of power sources or active power sensing and processing

N-ZERO: Passive Processing of RF and Sensor Data

COTS

battery

COTS RF

COTS sensor COTS microprocessor

Figure 3: N-ZERO systems are intended to trigger higher power COTS devices based on confirmed information sensed in the environment.

The remainder of this section describes a notional N-ZERO architecture that elaborates on Figure

4. Some discussion is included about the main technical challenges in producing a wake-up bit in response to an extremely weak signal at the input while consuming less than 10 nW battery power. These descriptions are intended for illustration purposes of potential N-ZERO approaches and should not restrict proposers from developing and proposing their own ideas, technical approaches or system architectures.

There are two primary challenges for the N-ZERO program in developing an “OFF-but-Alert” sensor technology. The first challenge is to close the sizable gap between the extremely small signal levels measured by RF and physical sensors and the relatively large threshold voltages required by state-of-the-art comparators. N-ZERO aims to bridge that gap without supplying any active power (≤ 10 nW) in the standby state when the signatures of interest are absent. The second challenge is the discrimination of the events or signatures of interest from noise and interference, without supplying active power. The critical technologies created by the N-ZERO program are intended to establish methods to provide large passive voltage gain, develop passive signal processing circuits to prevent false detection, and realize comparators operating at extremely low threshold voltages with near zero power consumption enabled by steep sub-threshold swing. This tri-prong approach is intended to result in microsystems capable of detecting and processing signals with near zero power consumption (≤ 10 nW).

In Figure 4, signal collection, amplification, processing and comparator functions are only suggested components of a notional N-ZERO architecture. There is no requirement that these functionalities are to be segregated in discrete devices or stages. Examples of variations include but are not limited to: combining amplification/processing in the collection device or in the comparator device; utilizing any combination of amplification and/or processing, including multi-stage approaches, etc.; or combining sensing with a comparator operation. DARPA will consider any technical approaches that deliver a wakeup bit at the output as a result of a specific triggering signature at the input while consuming ≤ 10 nW of total power with performance as defined by the metrics tables within this BAA.

The input signals and signatures depend on the specific sensor application and can range from RF (for a remotely triggered radio receiver) through a variety of physical triggers. In a number of cases, sensing and correlation between multiple signal modalities (sensor fusion) will result in more effective signature discrimination. It is envisioned that, when practical, N-ZERO

Figure 4: N-ZERO concept architecture.

RF

Acoustic Vibration EM field

EO/IR

Chemical Radiation

Other

Follow up stages consuming active power

N-ZERO domain ( <10nW)

Signal Collection

Amplification

Processing

Comparator Function approaches will take advantage of sensor fusion in order to achieve better probability of detection (POD) and lower false alarm rates (FAR). However, approaches that utilize a single sensing modality while still meeting the performance metrics will also be considered.

Figure 5 illustrates two example approaches to deliver the POD and FAR values required by this BAA, while maintaining near-zero power consumption. In the configuration shown in Figure 5a, the signal signature is detected, processed, and quantized (a digital bit is produced) with near-zero power (all-passive) components and the resulting figures for POD and FAR sufficiently satisfy the requirements in this BAA. In the alternative configuration, Figure 5b, a low-power active signal-processing stage may be required to increase the signal signature discrimination sufficiently in order to satisfy the requirement with respect to low FAR. However, this power consuming circuit is only infrequently activated to rule out false alarms when a pre-trigger threshold is reached by the all-passive stage. The overall average power consumption limitation of 10 nW or less is maintained in both cases.

Figure 6 illustrates a notional architecture where sensor fusion (multiple sensing modalities) is utilized in order to achieve the required signature discrimination and corresponding low FAR.

Any combination of sensors and processing stages is permissible, as long as it meets the BAA metrics specified herein. The proposers are required to describe with sufficient detail the proposed architecture and specify the required component performance characteristics, especially the power consumption of the proposed sensor and major circuit blocks, and interdependencies.

Figure 6. Example architecture implementing sensor fusion.

Zero Power Stage(s)

Low Power Active StageSignals

Follow up stages

N-ZERO domain ( <10nW)

Detection, false alarms rates do not meet BAA requirements

Detection, false alarms rates meet BAA requirements

Zero Power StageSignals Follow up stages

Detection, false alarms rates meet BAA requirements

N-ZERO domain ( <10nW) a) b)

Acoustic Sensor

N-ZERO domain ( <10nW)

Inertial Sensor

Magnetic or other

Processing Processing Across

ModalitiesSignals Follow up stages

Detection, false alarms rates meet BAA requirements

Processing

Figure 5. Example N-ZERO architectures. In all cases the BAA requirements must be met with ≤10 nW total average power consumption.

C. Technical Areas of Interest

To achieve the N-ZERO program objectives, DARPA seeks innovative proposals in the following Technical Areas of Interest:

Technical Area 1 – Microsystems (Phase 1 - 15 months, Phase 2 - 12 months, Phase 3 - 12 months)

(1A) RF Microsystems (1B) Physical Sensor Microsystems

Technical Area 2 – Devices (Phase 1 - 15 months, Phase 2 - 12 to 18 months)

(2A) Digitizing Sensor Microsystems (2B) RF Voltage Amplifiers (2C) Low-Threshold Comparators

A single proposal may address:

(a) only Technical Area 1A (RF Microsystems)

(b) only Technical Area 1B (Physical Sensor Microsystems)

(c) both Technical Areas 1A and 1B (RF and Physical Sensor Microsystems)

(d) only Technical Area 2A (Digitizing Sensor Microsystems)

(e) only Technical Area 2B (RF Voltage Amplifiers)

(f) only Technical Area 2C (Low-Threshold Comparators)

Proposers are required to clearly specify the Technical Area and Sub-Area addressed in their proposal. Note that only option (c) allows for combining more than one Technical Sub-Area in a single proposal. Proposals with tasks other than the combinations described above in a single proposal will be considered non-conforming to this BAA and will not be evaluated.

Proposers wishing to respond to multiple Technical Sub-Areas not covered under option (c) above must submit a proposal in response to each Technical Sub-Area. Proposals to TA1 must not be dependent on technologies or solutions proposed to TA2. All proposer-defined and justified metrics must be described and quantified in the submitted abstract and proposal.

Following the above guidance, proposers may submit multiple proposals in response to this

BAA.

Technical Area 1 (TA-1A and TA-1B) will focus on developing complete microsystems capable of detecting either an RF signature (TA-1A) or the physical signatures produced by machinery

(TA-1B).

Technical Area 2 (TA-2A, TA-2B, and TA-2C) intends to focus on sensing modalities not covered in TA-1, such as EO/IR, radiation, chemical, or other sensors. TA-2 encompasses digitizing sensor microsystems which combine the functionality of sensing with the ability to quantize signatures with a digital bit. TA-2 also focuses on RF voltage amplifiers and low-threshold comparators, since these blocks are crucial for producing a quantized bit from sensor data.

The details of the Technical Areas of Interest are defined as follows:

Technical Area 1 – Microsystems

The COTS unattended sensor systems of interest possess the ability to sense, process and communicate data about the environment that is in proximity of the sensor. Unattended sensors often communicate by forming a network where the sensor information is passed from one node to the next until it reaches a central hub (Figure 1). A possible configuration is illustrated in Figure 7, where the COTS Sensor Suite is equipped with a COTS radio module for communication with other nodes in the wireless UGS network. In order for an N-ZERO wake-up capability to be effective in dramatically extending the useful lifetime of the sensor node, both near zero power wakeup sensors that detect physical signatures of interest (TA-1B) and near zero power RF receivers that detect wake-up signatures (TA-1A) transmitted from sources of interest (including other nodes in the network) must be developed. It is anticipated that component technologies such as passive voltage amplifiers, signal processors and low-threshold comparators can be effective in both RF and physical sensor implementations. Therefore, proposals may (but are not required to) combine TA-1A (RF wake-up) and TA-1B (physical sensor wake-up) efforts to capitalize on commonality between the components in each sub-area. In cases where a proposer proposes to both TA-1A and TA-1B, the metrics for TA-1A and TA-1B will be evaluated separately. For example, a proposer to both TA-1A and TA-1B will be allowed 10 nW to meet the metrics of TA-1A and an additional 10 nW to meet the metrics of TA-1B.

An important distinction between TA-1A and TA-1B is the source of the signatures to be detected. In TA-1A, the goal is to detect, in the presence of noise and interference, the zero power wake-up RF waveform transmitted by another node in the network. In this case, the waveform signature should be co-designed by the performers in conjunction with the near zero power wake-up receiver hardware to minimize the received energy required for detection, minimize the FAR and maximize the POD.

The sensor microsystems to be developed by the performers in response to TA-1 will be subject to testing at a Government laboratory to verify that the delivered systems meet prescribed performance goals. A high-level view of the N-ZERO test plan is shown in Figure 8. It is envisioned that TA-1 performers will first test their TA-1 microsystems in their own facility prior to providing hardware to the Government for final testing. Test equipment for performer

Information Interference and Noise

N-ZERO

RF Sensor

RF

Wake-up

Not N-ZERO: COTS Wireless Unattended Ground Sensor

COTS

battery

COTS Sensor Response

COTS Radio Response

N-ZERO

Physical Sensor

Sensor Wake-up

N-ZERO:

Technical Area 1 (TA-1)

TA-1A

TA-1B

Figure 7. N-ZERO Technical Area 1 Concept.

testing at the performer’s facility will not be provided by the Government. Final end-of-phase testing will be performed by the Government at a US Government facility using US Government furnished test equipment. TA-1 performers must deliver hardware to be tested by the Government at the end of each Phase. Unless otherwise noted, three (3) identical devices are to be delivered for Government testing.

To provide guidance for the abstract and proposal preparation, TA-1A proposers are to make use of Government-furnished data representing the RF environment (e.g., collected background RF noise samples) in which TA-1A RF sensor microsystems will be expected to operate. Example background collects of RF data will be provided by the Government. Information on how to acquire this and other data is described later in this document. Similar RF environments will be applied to the performer’s sensor during Government tests in which specific types of signatures will be detected (described below in the Technical Area 1A (TA-1A): RF Microsystems Subsection).

The focus of TA-1B is the sensing, at near zero power consumption, of physical sensor signatures in a background containing noise and interferers. TA-1B calls for the detection of acoustic, inertial, ground displacement, and/or magnetic field emissions from targeted machinery comprising an electrical generator, a passenger car and a truck, all operating in either an “on” or “off” state. Proposers must choose which features and signals emitted from the target machines can be applied to construct a robust signature with high POD and low FAR meeting the metrics in this BAA. The sensor microsystems to be developed under TA-1B are to produce a wake-up bit upon detection of the proposer-defined signatures.

To provide guidance for the abstract and proposal preparation, TA-1B proposers are to make use of Government-furnished data representing the acoustic, vibration, ground displacement and magnetic field data measured in close proximity to, and ≥ 5 m away from, the three targets machines of interest. Example collects of this sensor data will be provided by the Government. Information on how to acquire this and other data is described later in this document. The time series data for the different sensing modalities for each collect were

Figure 8. N-ZERO test overview. Initial performer tests are carried out by the performer at their own facility. Final testing will be performed by the Government at a US Government facility.

Initial Performer

Tests

Tests in a Government Laboratory

TA-1A

Performer Deliverables

Initial Performer

Tests

Test in a Government Laboratory

Field Tests on Machinery

TA-1B

Performer Deliverables acquired by a single data acquisition system ensuring proper time synchronization of the various sensor outputs. Proposers should make reasonable physics-based adjustments of the data to determine signatures close to and ≥ 10 m away from the target machines. The Government may provide additional data at contract award. In addition to the collects of the machinery data, multiple collects of acoustic, vibration, ground displacement and magnetic field data measured in both a rural and an urban background have also been provided. These collects will assist the proposers in assessing FAR performance of their sensor microsystems when the machinery is in an “off” state.

During the TA-1B performer’s physical sensor microsystem Government testing, the TA-1B microsystems will first be exposed to acoustic, inertial, ground displacement and magnetic field tests using laboratory equipment to establish the performance levels of the delivered sensors.

Following the laboratory experiments, the TA-1B microsystems will be placed in close proximity and at least 10 m from the machines of interest, with the detections by the sensors evaluated against the metric table (provided below in Table 2).

Note, while TA-1B proposers must propose their own performer-defined signatures corresponding to the machinery targets of interest, these signatures must be based solely on the Government-provided acoustic, vibration, ground displacement and magnetic field measurement data from the three machines. The experimental conditions during the testing will correspond to the conditions of the target machinery in “on” and “off” states with appropriate background noise. Although systems will be evaluated using the Government-provided data, performers are encouraged to exceed the types of signatures that can be detected with additional signatures that are of interest to the DoD.

The timeline for TA-1 of the N-ZERO program is shown in Figure 9. TA-1 has three Phases.

Phase I is 15 months, Phase II is 12 months, and Phase III is 12 months in duration. Government evaluations of performers begin approximately 1.5 months before the end of each Phase. A minimum of two months is needed to undergo Government testing at the conclusion of Phases I and II. The Government’s decision regarding exercising a performer’s Phase II or Phase III option is NOT contingent upon results from the Government’s independent testing; however, the Government reserves the right to reduce or discontinue funding a Phase II or Phase III effort based on the results of such independent testing. The Government reserves the right to make Phases II and III selection decisions regardless of the testing outcomes.

Figure 9. Timeline of TA-1 (39 months total).

1 13.5 14 15 16 17 25.5 26 27 28 29 39

Kickoff

Phase I Gov’t Evaluations Begin

Phase I Ends Phase II Begins

Phase II Ends Phase III Begins

Phase II Gov’t Evaluations Begin

Phase III Ends

TA-1 Government

Testing

TA-1 Government

Testing

Technical Area 1A (TA-1A): RF Microsystems

The primary goal of TA-1A is the demonstration of an N-ZERO receiver microsystem capable of detecting an RF signature while both consuming no more than 10 nW and maintaining a low false alarm rate. It is envisioned that the N-ZERO system will respond to a defined RF waveform or signal pattern where the signature is encoded in specific RF frequency tones, chirp rates and durations, pulse repetition rates, modulations, and/or other waveform characteristics. It is expected that the N-ZERO system will be able to discriminate the signature of interest in the presence of interfering signals and a noisy RF background. The development of an RF transmitter for emitting this signature waveform is not considered responsive to the N-ZERO BAA. Instead, the signature waveform is to be generated in a laboratory environment and presented directly to the N-ZERO RF wake-up receiver. In order to develop these capabilities, TA-1A is broken into three, progressively more difficult development Phases with a major measurement milestone at the end of each Phase. Table 1 describes the metrics needed for successful completion of each of the Phases.

To aid in the formulation of ideas and proposals, the Government is providing data sets of the RF environment measured in both a rural and an urban setting. To acquire the Government-provided data, interested proposers must send an email to DARPA-BAA-15-14@darpa.mil with the subject line “RF DATA”. Proposers are encouraged to make such requests by no later than 60 calendar days after publication of the BAA. At the completion of each phase, test systems that generate a simulated noisy RF background corresponding to the supplied data will be used by the Government to test the probability of detection of the RF microsystem to the signature of interest (provided by the performer). The testing will also apply similar RF environmental conditions to quantify the false alarm rate and average power consumption in the absence of the signature. Proposers must provide to the Government, at the end of each Phase, their RF sensor system (in a quantity of 3 identical systems) to a designated Government laboratory for testing.

Proposers must also provide a time domain representation, such as a MatLab, text, or other clearly descriptive file, of the signature waveform for that Phase with their RF sensor system.

The performer-supplied TA-1A microsystems will be exposed to the RF interference background conditions, as described in the Government-furnished data and Table 1, but without the RF signature waveform present, to evaluate the sensor system FAR and power consumption.

Likewise, the RF signature waveform will be applied to the sensor in the presence of the simulated environmental noise to assess the POD.

The Government will carry out all RF testing of the submitted microsystems by making use of a proposer-provided 50 Ω SMA or other commonly available RF connection that will serve as the sensor’s physical input port. Antenna development is not part of N-ZERO TA-1A, and therefore should not be considered as a means to boost sensor input gain.

Phase I (15 months) – At the conclusion of Phase I, performers should demonstrate the ability to produce a wake-up bit with an amplitude ≥ 1V in response to a -60 dBm RF tone while consuming less than 10 nW. This will demonstrate the ability to perform signal processing and discrimination while consuming near zero power. The frequency of the RF tone can be selected by the proposer within the 50 MHz to 1,000 MHz range. The selected frequency should be clearly specified in the proposal along with any other characteristics of the tone which may be mailto:DARPA-BAA-15-14@darpa.mil used to construct a robust RF signature such as duration, repetition rate or modulation.

Performers should describe all aspects of the Phase I RF signature with sufficient detail in the proposal. The performers will be expected to maintain a low false alarm rate of up to one false wake-up per hour in a relatively quiet setting such as a remote/non-urban area (as approximated in the Government-provided data). Performers will be expected to demonstrate successful detection and discrimination based on a number of both positive (RF signature is present along with noise and interference) and negative (RF signature is absent, but with noise and interference present) signatures.

Phase II (12 months) – At the conclusion of Phase II, performers should demonstrate the ability to produce a wake-up bit with an amplitude ≥ 1V in response to a -80 dBm RF chirp based signature while consuming less than 10 nW. This will demonstrate the ability to perform signal processing and signature discrimination while consuming near zero power. The RF chirp frequency can be selected by the proposer within the 50 MHz to 1,000 MHz range. The waveform parameters such as frequency, bandwidth, chirp rate, pulse repetition rate, modulation and any other relevant parameters should be clearly specified in the proposal. The performers will be expected to maintain a low false alarm rate of up to one false wake-up per hour in the presence of interferers (simulating an urban background). Performers will be expected to demonstrate successful detection and discrimination of the RF chirp based signature based on a number of both positive (RF signature is present along with noise and interference) and negative (RF signature is absent, with noise and interference present) signatures that will be provided by the Government.

Phase III (12 months) At the conclusion of Phase III, performers should demonstrate the ability to produce a wake-up bit with an amplitude ≥ 1V in response to a -100 dBm RF proposer-defined waveform (key) while consuming less than 10 nW. This will demonstrate the ability to perform signal processing on extremely low input signals while consuming near zero power.

The proposer defined RF waveform should be contained in the 50 MHz to 1,000 MHz range and all aspects of the waveform should be clearly defined in the proposal. Proposers’ microsystems must be able to discriminate the RF waveform within the POD and FAR required. The provided RF waveform will be combined with a background to provide a sufficient real-world presentation of the key signal. The performers will be expected to maintain a low false alarm rate of up to one false wake-up per hour in the presence of interferers (simulating an urban background). Performers will be expected to demonstrate successful detection and discrimination, based on a number of both positive (RF signature is present along with noise and interference) and negative (RF signature is absent, with noise and interference present) signatures provided by the Government.

Table 1. TA-1A RF Sensor Microsystem Metrics.

Metric Phase I Phase II Phase III RF Level At Sensor Input ≤ -60 dBm ≤ -80 dBm ≤ -100 dBm RF Frequency Limits 50 MHz to

1 GHz 50 MHz to

1 GHz 50 MHz to

1 GHz RF Signature Type RF Tone RF Chirp Proposer Defined

RF Waveform Signature Duration < 10 s < 10 s < 10 s Digital Output Voltage Indicating Positive Detection

≥ 1 V ≥ 1 V ≥ 1 V

Duration of Digital Output Bit Indicating Positive Detection

≥ 1 ms ≥ 1 ms ≥ 1 ms

Received Energy Required for Signature Detection

≤ 30 pJ ≤ 300 fJ ≤ 3 fJ

RF Source Impedance 50 Ω 50 Ω 50 Ω Max. False Alarm/Hour 1 1 1 Probability of Detection ≥ 95% ≥ 95% ≥ 95% Environment low interference background high interference background high interference background Average Power Consumption When Signature is Absent

≤ 10 nW ≤ 10 nW ≤ 10 nW

Output Load* ≥ 2 pF ≥ 2 pF ≥ 2 pF

* Energy Required to Drive Load Capacitor Not Included in Power Budget Since it is Post Wake-Up

Technical Area 1B (TA-1B): Physical Sensor Microsystems

The primary goal of TA-1B is the demonstration of an N-ZERO microsystem capable of detecting a physical signature while consuming no more than 10 nW and maintaining a low false alarm rate. Such technology will have a very broad applicability in a number of operational scenarios. In order to create a well-defined proof of concept demonstration, DARPA will test the detection and discrimination capabilities of TA-1B microsystems against the physical effects created by target electro-mechanical machinery, specifically: 1) an electrical generator, 2) a passenger car, and 3) a truck. In principal, the operation of such machinery could be detected via a single or some combination of acoustic, vibrational, EM-field, thermal, optical (visually or IR), chemical, or other types of sensors. However, to facilitate Government testing and evaluation, proposers to TA-1B are limited to using any combination/subset of the sensor data that has been provided by the Government, which includes measurement data from acoustic, vibration, ground displacement and magnetic field sensors exposed to the above three machines at close proximity and ≥ 5 m away, with urban and rural background noise present. Other sensor modalities can be addressed in TA-2A via a separate proposal. The Government-furnished data is intended to aid the proposers in the formulation of ideas and proposals for TA-1B. Proposers to TA-1B must utilize this Government furnished data to propose signatures, devices and microsystems capable of detecting the electro-mechanical machines of interest while rejecting other machines and background interference. Details of the sensing modalities and specific signal features or signatures to be used for detection and discrimination must be described in sufficient detail in both the abstract and full proposal. The preferred sensing modality or modalities should be justified in the proposal based on expected system performance in terms of power consumption, POD and FAR, complexity, risk mitigation, cost and any other factors influencing the selection.

To acquire the Government-provided data, interested proposers must send an email to DARPA- BAA-15-14@darpa.mil with the subject line “SENSOR DATA”. Proposers are encouraged to make such requests by no later than 60 calendar days after publication of the BAA.

An example of the Government-furnished data is illustrated in Figure 10. This figure captures temporal data from the rural background noise level and three different machines. The temporal signals were broken into spectral components to illustrate that the information about the machines can be elicited from other methods of analysis. Performers are encouraged to analyze the data in any manner that allows for successful discrimination of signals while maintaining the N-ZERO metrics.

At the completion of each phase, the data provided by the Government will be used to test the POD of the TA-1B sensor microsystems to the signatures of interest in a noisy background.

Furthermore, the Government provided background data (machines are absent) will be used to quantify the false alarm rate and the power consumption. Proposers to TA-1B should plan to deliver three microsystems to the Government at the conclusion of each Phase for testing against the metrics described in the phase sections below.

To facilitate the proposal and development of signatures and zero power wake-up sensor hardware, the Government has provided multiple collections of the acoustic, vibration, ground displacement and magnetic field data measured in close proximity to and/or ≥ 5 m from an electric generator, a passenger car and a truck. Proposers should make reasonable physics-based adjustments of the data to determine signatures close to and ≥ 10 m away from the target machines. The time series data for the different sensing modalities for each collect were

(s) (s) (s) (s)

(Hz) (Hz)

Po w er

Po w er

Po w er

Po w er

Po w er

Po w er

Po w er

Po w er

Time (s)

Frequency (Hz)

Time (s)

Frequency (Hz)

Time (s)

Frequency (Hz)

Time (s)

Frequency (Hz)

Background Machine 1 Machine 2 Machine 3

Temporal Data

Spectral Data

Figure 10. Example of Government-provided data. This is notional data proportional to the power transferred by a sensor. The actual Government-provided data will be in terms of units appropriate to the sensor (e.g., Pa for sound pressure).

acquired by a single data acquisition system ensuring proper time synchronization of the various sensor outputs. In addition to the collects of the generator, car and truck data, multiple collects of background acoustic, vibration, ground displacement, and magnetic field data, have also been provided. The Government may provide additional data at the time of contract award. The Government will expose the TA-1B sensor microsystems to the acoustic, vibration, ground displacement and magnetic field environments created in close proximity to (Phases I and II) or ≥ 10 m from (Phase III) a generator (all Phases), a car (Phases II and III) and a truck (Phases II and III) to evaluate the POD. Furthermore, the Government will expose the TA-1B sensor microsystems to the rural (Phase I) and urban (Phases II and III) background to measure the FAR and the average power consumption when the signatures of interest are not present. Exposure of the TA-1B microsystems to the generator, car, truck and urban background environments will first be performed in a laboratory setting within the Government, where the acoustic, inertial and magnetic fields will be recreated using test equipment. Following the laboratory experiments, the TA-1B microsystems will be placed in close proximity to or ≥ 10 m from the generator, car and truck of interest and evaluated against the metrics in Table 2. Unlike TA-1A, development of physical sensors is an anticipated part of TA-1B. Signal processing and sensor functions in the same collector device is anticipated to increase the sensitivity in many cases.

TA-1B is broken into three, progressively more difficult development phases with a major measurement milestone at the end of each phase. Table 2 describes the metrics needed for successful completion of each of the phases.

Phase I (15 Months) – At the conclusion of Phase I, performers should demonstrate the ability to produce a wakeup bit with an amplitude ≥ 1V in response to the acoustic, inertial and/or magnetic environment when placed directly in contact with, or in very close proximity to, an electric generator while consuming no more than 10 nW. This will demonstrate the ability to perform signal processing and discrimination while consuming near zero power. The performers will be expected to maintain a low false alarm rate of up to one false wake-up per hour in a relatively quiet background such as that found in a remote area. Performers will likewise be expected to demonstrate successful detection and discrimination based on a number of both positive (event signature is present along with noise and interference) and negative (event signature is absent, but with noise and interference present) signatures that will be provided by the Government.

Phase II (12 Months) – At the conclusion of Phase II, performers should demonstrate the ability to produce a wake-up bit with an amplitude ≥ 1V in response to the acoustic, inertial and magnetic environment, when placed directly in contact (or in very close proximity) on three different types of machines, while consuming no more than 10 nW. The three machines for Phase II will be the generator from Phase I, a passenger car and a truck. This will demonstrate the ability to perform signal processing and discrimination while consuming near zero power.

The performers will be expected to maintain a low false alarm rate of up to one false wake-up per hour in a noisy environment such as an urban background. Performers will be expected to demonstrate successful target detection and identification based on a number of both positive (one of the machine signatures is present along with noise and interference) and negative (machine signatures are absent, but with noise and interference present) signatures that will be provided by the Government. Proposers’ microsystems must be able to discriminate the machine signals within the POD and FAR required in the TA-1B metrics in Table 2.

Phase III (12 Months) – At the conclusion of Phase III, performers should demonstrate the ability to produce a wake-up bit with an amplitude ≥ 1V in response to the acoustic, inertial and magnetic environment, when placed at a ≥ 10 m standoff distance from three different types of machines, all while consuming no more than 10 nW. The three machines for Phase III will be the same generator, passenger car and truck from Phase II. This will demonstrate the ability to perform signal processing on extremely weak signals while consuming near zero power. The performers will be expected to maintain a low false alarm rate of up to one false wake-up per hour in a noisy environment such as an urban background. Performers will be expected to demonstrate successful detection and identification based on a number of both positive (one of the machine signatures is present along with noise and interference) and negative (machine signatures are absent, but with noise and interference present) signatures that will be provided by the Government. Proposers’ microsystems must be able to discriminate the machine signals within the POD and FAR required in the TA-1B metrics in Table 2.

Table 2. TA-1B Physical Sensor Metrics.

Metric Phase I Phase II Phase III Devices to be Detected Generator Generator, Car, Truck Generator, Car, Truck Signatures to be Utilized for Detection Performer

Defined Performer Defined

Performer Defined

Distance to Physical Source < 0.5 m < 0.5 m ≥ 10 m Digital Output Voltage Indicating Positive Detection

≥ 1 V ≥ 1 V ≥ 1 V

Duration of Digital Output Bit Indicating Positive Detection

≥ 1 ms ≥ 1 ms ≥ 1 ms

Max. False Alarm/Hour 1 1 1 Probability of Detection ≥ 95% ≥ 95% ≥ 95% Time to Detection ≤ 30 s ≤ 30 s ≤ 30 s Environment rural urban urban Average Power Consumption When Signature is Absent

≤ 10 nW ≤ 10 nW ≤ 10 nW

Output Load* ≥ 2 pF ≥ 2 pF ≥ 2 pF

* Energy Required to Drive Load Capacitor Not Included in Power Budget Since it is Post Wake-Up

Technical Area Two (TA-2): Devices

In an N-ZERO microsystem there are key component technologies such as low-threshold, steep sub-threshold swing comparators, sensors that achieve high sensitivity in response to specific signatures, and near zero power RF voltage amplifiers, which are needed for a wide range of operational scenarios. Furthermore, near zero power sensing of modalities not covered in TA-1, such as, but not limited to, IR, radiation and chemical, are of high interest to the Government.

TA-2 allows proposers to focus on either a single component critical to the realization of the N- ZERO microsystem goals outlined in TA-1, or a microsystem with sensing modalities not covered in TA-1.