Attach_10_-_Task_Order_5_-_Assessment_and_Enhancement_of_Airman_and_Teams_in__Operational_Environments_(AEA-TOE)_SOO.pdf

Task Order 5 - Statement of Objectives Assessment and Enhancement of Airman and Teams in Operational

Environments (AEA-TOE)

1.0 Background

With today’s dynamically changing environment of armed conflict, it is becoming increasingly vital to understand performance parameters for weapons systems, aircraft and technologies carrying out these missions, and even more so the most vital component of carrying out the mission, the human. A key approach to improving overall performance for the human is to implement the sense-assess-augment paradigm toward managing cognitive performance. This holistic method provides information in a closed-loop fashion which will help to exploit and understand individual differences among operators and develop strategies to mitigate performance decrements.

2.0 Scope

Research is needed to focus on the maturation of the sense-assess-augment paradigm to optimize individual and team performance in an operational environment. Research concentrated on non-invasive sensor suites and the application of assisted or enhanced techniques/technology that improve the mission performance of Airmen is equally critical. Emphasis needs to be placed on the identification of fundamental mechanisms that drive performance optimization in order to develop accurate animal and human models for sensing, assessment, and augmentation. Research will concentrate on identifying, sensing and characterizing mechanisms/metrics associated with but not limited to stress, workload & operator functional state, and will provide connections between complex behavioral and neurophysiological measures using neurological, biological, behavioral, physiological and cognitive parameters. Sensing these parameters is expected to also lead to research efforts involving individual differences, personalized health and equipment, real-time biometric sensing, and the development of novel assessment and enhancement capabilities. Best-practices and knowledge of experimental methodologies are expected to maintain a high level of research integrity, conduct appropriate descriptive and inferential statistical analyses using the collected data, and verify the integrity and accuracy of the data collection and analysis capabilities and develop methods to ensure sanitization of data or software. The data will also be used to develop, integrate, miniaturize and validate human-centric multi-sensor suite designs.

3.0 Technical Requirements

• Demonstrate and/or validate sensor technologies that encompass human-centric experimentation with initial evaluation and integration testing using simulated environments to demonstrate data capture and management, real time data analysis, human operator state assessment and conclude with integration into a fieldable system. Ensure assessment linkages to performance will be completed by developing and implementing modeling and simulation techniques which depict operator cognitive state or can be used to assess augmentation technology performance parameters as well as implement automated training/recovery modulation via artificial intelligence.

• Conduct model organism (animal) research to measure metrics/markers related to stressor-driven hormonal, metabolic, and inflammatory processes. This should include but not be limited to: the chronic variable stress paradigm, neuromodulation techniques, specialized physical training paradigms, extensive model organism handling; and behavioral testing (e.g. elevated plus maze, morris water maze, barnes maze, fear conditioning, novel object recognition, rotorod task). The contractor shall consider model organism surgical techniques, blood sampling, injections and tissue collections, model organism husbandry, and euthanasia.

• Develop novel augmentation strategies to advance neuromodulation techniques (e.g., transcranial direct current stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, photomodulation, vagal nerve stimulation) aimed at improving learning, memory, attention and decision making under operationally relevant stressors such as sleep deprivation, physical fatigue, and high workload. The strategies may include things such as novel hardware, software, models, or phone applications.

• Leverage new materials and devices to detect, assess, and augment operator state while improving safety, comfort, reliability, ease-of-use, unobtrusiveness, and real-time information that can be utilized for training and recovery. A focus is on biological and physiological markers that through technological advancement can predict changes in operator state. Assess and/or develop augmentation approaches that are proposed to develop and sustain performance optimization to include nutrition, cognitive training, physical training, floatation, neuro-stimulation, cryotherapy, etc.

• Demonstrate the utility of human-machine teaming algorithms to exhibit advanced functional outcomes for domain specific environments. Experimental design may include biological and/or physiological metrics of multiple team members to identify synchrony leading toward optimal cognitive capabilities.

Autonomous systems integration should also be considered when testing for team dynamics and effective collaborative efforts with human-robot interaction.

• Conduct novel data analysis of cognitive, biological, physiological and psychological inputs using novel bioinformatics approaches. Leverage existing or develop novel techniques to appropriately and accurately digest various data streams to inform the Airman and/or their commander of performance metrics and associated physical interventions or augmentation approaches to improve cognitive performance. Establish gold-standard practices for data analytics and real-time analysis.

4.0 Operations Security (OPSEC)

The contractor shall provide OPSEC protection for all sensitive/critical information as defined by AFI 10-701 (Operations Security), the 711 HPW OPSEC Plan, and critical information list. The contractor shall participate in the 711 HPW sustained OPSEC awareness training or include OPSEC training as part of their ongoing security program. The 711 HPW OPSEC coordinator will evaluate the OPSEC posture of AF contract activities and operations.

5.0 Additional Requirements

• Human/Animal Use: Develop experimental test plans (including flight test planning), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) animal use protocols, and/or Institutional Review Board (IRB) human use research protocols as well as acquire and set up special laboratory and test facility equipment to meet test program objectives.

• Research and Development: Perform test setup, test operation, data collection, data plotting, and data analysis and reporting to meet test program research objectives.

• Highest Security Classification: Unclassified

• Deliverables o Reports: CDRLs A001, A002, A003, A004, A005, A006, A007, A008, A010, A012, A014, A015, and A021 o Software: Laboratory software will be developed and delivered o Hardware: Lab prototype hardware

• ITAR: Applicable

• Available Base Support/Facilities: The contractor will be provided access to the following Building 840 laboratory facilities to conduct research:

o Cognitive Performance Team Research o Cognitive Performance Individual Research o Human Universal Measurement & Assessment Network o STRONG Lab o Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Lab

• GFP/GFI: None

• Flight Test: Yes

• Human Use: Yes

• Animal Use: Yes

• Hazardous Materials: Yes

• Radioactive Materials: No

• Period of Performance: 36 months technical plus 3 months for Final

Technical Report (39 month POP)

• Estimated Funding Profile: The estimated funding for this task order is:

Fiscal Year FY1 FY2 FY3 Total

Total Amount $4.4M $4.5M $4.4M $13.3M