SOFWERX, in concert with the USSOCOM Science and Technology (S&T) Office, will host a Virtual Tech Sprint to identify technology solutions that will provide advanced computing to support localized SOF teams in degraded, disconnected, and contested or anti?access/area denial (A2/AD) communications environments, 05 July – 07 October 2021.
Data collection, management, storage, and dissemination have become complex and will continue to increase in complexity. In addition, body-worn Internet of Things (IoT) to Battlefield of Things (BoT) sensing has not been effectively integrated into an open architecture, system-of-systems design for next-generation computing at the edge.
Special Operations Forces (SOF) require real-time situational awareness and connectivity in the highly-contested future operating environment. SOF require portable, interconnected sensors that enable data fusion, networking, and processing at the edge. Such edge computing solutions will deliver increased Warfighter safety and mission effectiveness by providing real-time information that is not dependent on distant command resources. Edge computing hardware solutions must be able to process and analyze data from multiple sources to deliver a holistic picture of the operating environment. Edge computing hardware solutions miniaturized to a minimal form factor (i.e., individual chips) that will allow for body?worn hardware components supporting either individual or multiple functions in a lower?power consumption manner than most traditional commercially sourced edge compute offerings. Edge computing hardware solutions must facilitate numerous varieties of evolving analytical software and toolset processing needs. These requirements will need to deliver an edge compute solution that delivers a holistic picture of the operating environment for the SOF Operator. The following attributes are preferred:
1 Provide low-power-consumption computing relative to existing, Commercial?Off?The?Shelf (COTS) CPU/GPU hardware
2 Support software applications that provide advanced data analytics and visualization tools
3 Provide the ability to compute and derive insights at multiple points within a tactical network before reach?back to an enterprise?level network connection
4 Support networking of multiple body?worn computing chips that are capable of fusing numerous data types
5 Provide the ability to host Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning software that conducts face?to?face engagement with non?English speaking individuals with a wearable system that automatically changes the words spoken into the desired language and transversely converts the foreign language back to English.
6 Novel, new smart sensors for collection and filtering
7 Low signature management should be considered. This includes visual, electro-magnetic, infrared, etc
8 If proposed solution utilizes communication between various points, then Low Probability of Intercept/Low Probability of Detection methods should be incorporated
9 Ability to be used in Air, Maritime, and Ground Environments
The desired end state is to create an integrated, body-worn, sense, and compute system of systems that aggregate useful data, provide analytics, and visualization to Operators at the edge.
Submit NLT 09 June 11:59 PM ET.
Visit events.sofwerx.org/edgecompute for full details.