ALTERNATIVE ACQUISITION
waterborne autonomous vehicles that would communicate with each other and work in concert using onboard sensors to identify and then sample areas suspected of chemical or biolog- ical contamination.
• An automated digital tool that surveils a global range of publicly available social media and dark web sites in all source languages using advanced analytics, natural language process- ing and machine learning to detect near-term CBRN threats.
• A lightweight, throwable or droppable mesh-networked sensor called a G-ball, designed to detect CBRN threats and convey the information back to a graphical user interface. Warfighters and operators could determine if an area were safe by simply throwing the ball from a vehicle window or dropping it from a drone at an altitude of up to 30 feet.
ADJUSTING TO THE PANDEMIC At the beginning of June, SOCOM made its contract awards through SOFWERX and each of the winners was given, on average, six months to develop its technology to the point it could be demonstrated in a two-day showcase orchestrated by the DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center at Aberdeen Prov- ing Ground, Maryland. Ten the COVID-19 pandemic hit and AIM went virtual, just like the rest of the world.
Instead of a live demonstration, in the fall of 2020 each of the seven remaining technology companies had its own demon- stration videotaped by AIM at various locations nationwide. In November, AIM organizers collected those demonstration videos and held a teleconference for the technology companies and 85 government partners. Te technology companies virtually presented their videos and took questions from the government participants. Te event gave the technology developers and the government partners a virtual forum in which they could refine concepts, reinforce existing collaborative relationships and in some cases start new ones.
AIM CONCEPT PROVEN Now in its third year, AIM has proven its ability to open up new business opportunities for the participating technology develop- ers, and to fully collaborate with government stakeholders and warfighters.
“AIM was our first contract with the DOD, and it helped focus our company direction by providing a specific application for the new technology we were developing, an autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle for CBRN surveillance. Tis kick-start helped us
“AIM filled a gap in acquisition. It allows for a more
rapid cycle of identifying the best technologies and an agile way to establish contracts.”
find more customers in the Air Force and other DOD branches,” said Fraser Kitchell, co-founder and CEO of KEF Robotics. “Tey are as much partner as customer, giving us insights into how to make our product better.”
According to the Defense Treat Reduction Agency (DTRA), the AIM acquisition model enabled the agency to find KEF Robotics, a company with the innovation needed for a project. KEF Robot- ics' software represents a big step forward in countering weapons of mass destruction. It also may prove to be a real boon for the warfighter because it is autonomous and leaves the operator's hands free. In the past, it would have been much more difficult for DTRA to find a company with this type of innovation.
Te next round of technology development events will begin in late 2021 or early 2022, when participating technology companies will once again respond to problem sets and develop solutions to CBRN challenges. Te cycle of deep industry and government collaboration facilitated by the AIM business model will thus be renewed and expanded.
For more information about the DEVCOM Chemical Biologi- cal Center, go to
https://cbc.devcom.army.mil.
DR. BRIAN B. FEENEY is a public affairs specialist at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center, where he writes news and feature stories on the science and engineering achievements of the center’s researchers. He has served as a communications specialist supporting various CBRN defense organizations at Aberdeen Proving Ground since 2000. He holds a Ph.D. in risk communication from Temple University, an M.A. in communications from Cornell University and a B.A. in history from Colorado College.
https://asc.ar my.mil
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