FREE, URGENT AND SCARCE
Topic A: Scalable power and energy solutions
Problem Statement A: The Army has a need for lighter, energy dense, safe, rechargeable batteries that can be demon- strated at the battery prototype level of 400 watt hours per kilogram (Whr/kg) (cell level 500Whr/kg), or a small form- factor power-generation system that could include fuel cells or small engine tech- nologies to recharge batteries while on the move, that is light weight (<5-6 lbs. including fuel).
Topic B: Novel materials for weight reduction and survivability
Problem Statement B: For military ground vehicle structures, ballistic and blast-load requirements often trump structural requirements, leading to very thick struc- tures. Contrary to aerostructures, for thick ground vehicle structures, materials with high strength and elongation capabili- ties are better than those with ultra-high stiffness. To enable lightweight military ground vehicles, there is a need for afford- able materials that are resilient to high loading rate events and are able to absorb large amounts of energy without breaking.
“Te broad problem statement from AFC gave enough leeway for both battery and generator technologies to be submitted,” said Dr. Imee G. Smith, director (A) of the Soldier and Squad Science and Technology portfolio for ODASA R&T, and one of the judges for the Innovation Combine. “Tis gave us, as judges, the opportunity to eval- uate the potential impacts of each type of technology for a Soldier’s needs without constraining us to a single use case.” Keith Jadus, another Innovation Combine judge, agreed, noting that “…the AFC problem statement to reduce the weight of ground vehicles was very relevant and I saw a lot of opportunity to do this in the four compa- nies that I reviewed.”
CONCLUSION Te problem statements of the Innovation Combine and the COVID-19 Ventilator Challenge demonstrate the potential of how the xTechSearch program can change the acquisition process. “If you go to clas- sic acquisition documentation, it talks about requirements. In the past then, we were very specific about other aspects of whatever we are asking for… What we are trying to do now is leverage modern tech- nology in a more reasonable manner,” Jette said, when commenting on the changing Army requirements documents. “We are not going to put a requirement in for phase one. We are going to put in a character- istic set for phase one—we are putting book ends—what you do between the book ends, we open the door, we give you the flexibility.” As with the COVID-19 Ventilator Challenge and the Innovation Combine, the problem statements did not constrain innovators into one technology solution. Tis results in choice in Army acquisition to meet specific needs.
Tis fall will see the completion of xTech 3 and xTech 4. XTech 5 will be in Phase III semifinals.
As the xTech program evolves, the Army innovation ecosystem that contributes to the program keeps exploring pathways to achieve further strategic alignments with other Army programs and authorities to fulfill a complete competition-driven tech- nology discovery to acquisition lifecycle.
During the summer of 2020, the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command rearranged the traditional phases of the xTechSearch program and announced the Brain Operant Learning Technologies (BOLT) prize. Te xTech BOLT prize is a research topic that is focused on exploring neural learning pathways, seeking to improve military training outcomes through optimal
70 Army AL&T Magazine Fall 2020
There are strong psychological factors associated with opportunities that are free, urgent and scarce, which bring a broad appeal to contests and drive participation.
memory retention and access. Te prize competition benefits from all the proce- dural developments to the xTech program to date, and starts with a 60-day white paper challenge to select up to 10 compet- itors for an innovative excellence award of $10,000. As many as five of those finalists will go to Phase II, with a year to refine their research and compete for core research funding and the final prize of $500,000. Phase I and Phase II will be announced in November and December of 2020, with the finalists selected in 2021. Te xTech BOLT prize topic proves the program is flexible and boundless, seam- lessly moving from research to advanced technology to rapid prototype acquisition.
For more information on the Army’s xTechSearch program, visit https://
www.arl.army.mil/xtechsearch.
CHRISTOPHER J. SEMANCIK is an information liaison specialist with the Laboratory Management Office of
Directorate, the Deputy Assistant Secretary
of the Army, Research and Technology, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and holds a master’s degree in Strategic Studies.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196
