AFRL Posts RFI for Wearable Health Monitoring Tech

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory is seeking contractors that can provide wearable technologies that can monitor and combat stress and fatigue in real-time.

According to the ARFL’s request for information, the wearables will be used by warfighters, medical crews, first responders, astronauts and other personnel to assess and optimize cognitive and physical performance when on the field.

Wearable devices refer to pieces of technology that are attached to the body to capture multiple data parameters, including GPS location, physical movements, alertness and other health information. The AFRL ultimately wants to create and demonstrate technologies that are inexpensive, not power-intensive and can be manufacturable at scale, Nextgov reported Tuesday.

The RFI stated that stress and mental and physical fatigue can significantly affect personnel performance. Stress and fatigue can come from a multitude of factors, such as the duration of a mission and the condition of a certain environment.

AFRL officials noted that exhaustion impacts performance at a laboratory level, but certain techniques have been proven to improve human performance. With the use of wearables, personnel may be able to check their biomarkers like cortisol and adrenaline and counteract environmental stressors.

The Air Force intends to provide $23 million in funding over five years. The partner contractor must be willing to match the amount to set a minimum program funding of $46 million.

The deadline for responses is Feb. 28, while AFRL expects to award a contract for the effort in August.