By Daniel Smoot, Office of Army Prize Competitions and Army Applied SBIR Program

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army announced a round of new contract awards for innovative small businesses developing novel and advanced wearable technologies for the U.S. Soldier.

In its first open-topic solicitation, the Office of Army Prize Competitions and the Army Applied SBIR Program awarded 24 small businesses with Phase I Small Business Innovation Research contracts.

Companies selected for the Phase I contracts will receive up to $150,000 each for the solicitation Wearable Technologies for Physiological Monitoring.

The Army Applied SBIR Program developed this contract opportunity to attract non-traditional businesses unfamiliar with the Army Applied SBIR Program. It also established the open topic to broaden the defense industrial base.

This not only boosts the likelihood of increased interest from a variety of stakeholders but also enables several awarded companies the opportunity to work with different organizations.

“Advanced Wearable Technologies was our first open-topic solicitation for the Army SBIR Program, which allows us to hear the latest, most disruptive technologies from industry that can modernize our Army,” said Dr. Matthew Willis, director of Army Prize Competitions and the Army Applied SBIR Program, led by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology.

“We have evolved the Army SBIR Program to be more flexible, distributing contracts on a rolling basis, enabling Army program managers to benefit from small-business innovation in a timely manner,” Willis said.

Phase I Contracts awarded for Wearable Technologies for Physiological Monitoring:

• Asymmetric Technologies LLC, Dublin, Ohio
• ChromoLogic LLC, Monrovia, Calif.
• Custom Biometric Wearables, Inc., Atlanta, Ga.
• Design Interactive, Inc., Orlando, Fla.
• E-Sentience LLC, Raleigh, N.C.
• HedgeFog Research Inc, San Pedro, Calif.
• Human Systems Integration, East Walpole, Mass.
• Innsightful Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif.
• Luna Labs USA, LLC, Charlottesville, Va.
• Mantel Technologies, Inc., Tacoma, Wash.
• MaXentric Technologies LLC, La Jolla, Calif.
• Modus Operandi, Inc., Melbourne, Fla.
• Nano Composite Products dba XO-Nano, Orem, Utah
• Nanohmics, Inc, Austin, Texas
• Neurable Inc., Boston, Mass.
• NeuroFit, Inc., Mountain View, Calif.
• Organic Robotics Corporation, Rochester, N.Y.
• Pison Technology Inc, Boston, Mass.
• Prime Solutions Group, Incorporated, Goodyear, Ariz.
• SeaClaid, LLC, Columbus, Ohio
• Strados Labs, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa.
• TDA Research, Inc, Golden, Colo.
• Tietronix Software, Inc., Houston, Texas
• Vivonics, Inc., Bedford, Mass.

The Army Applied SBIR Program awards Phase I contracts to small businesses and non-traditional vendors with solutions that show technical merit, feasibility and commercial potential. Funding is also awarded to businesses that can meet the Army’s needs and earn further federal support in Phase II. The Direct to Phase II award is for solutions that are already mature and ready for demonstration.

Through the Army Applied SBIR Program, small businesses can engage with technical, acquisition and operational subject matter experts. These specialists offer insight into the Army’s technological needs as well as guidance through the Army research and development ecosystem.

Small businesses capitalize on this by partnering with technical points of contact that serve as resources for companies as they mature their technologies for eventual insertion into Army acquisition programs.

Additionally, the Army Applied SBIR Program’s timeliness and adaptability in solving the Army’s emerging technological needs maximizes the initial cash flow for small businesses while minimizing the time to contract.

The Army Applied SBIR Program releases contract opportunities on an ad-hoc basis to respond to the Army’s current and expected warfighting technology needs. For eligibility information and a list of open topics, please visit the Army SBIR | STTR website.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology provides the American Soldier with a decisive advantage in any mission by developing, acquiring, fielding and sustaining the world’s finest equipment and services. It also leverages technologies and capabilities to meet current and future Army needs. For more information, please visit the Army ASA(ALT) website.