Posted by John Keller
ARLINGTON, Va., 7 April 2010. Scientists at the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) in Arlington, Va., are asking industry to develop and demonstrate advanced technologies to detect and neutralize improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other kinds of covert explosives on land and under water -- including improvised chemical, biological, and nuclear bombs.
ONR experts released a broad agency announcement (BAA 10-015) Monday for the Joint Service Explosive Ordnance Disposal (JSEOD) Applied Research Program for advanced IED detection and IED disposal, which initially asks companies to submit white papers on projects that offer potential to improve explosives-disposal operations.
Of particular concern are ideas to develop technologies to detect, identify, and neutralize conventional, chemical, biological, and nuclear IEDs on the ground, buried underground, or hidden under water.
This project includes the potential use and control of robots with dual manipulators, rather than one manipulator as is typical today, as well as modeling and simulation technologies to help train explosives disposal robot controllers and evaluate bomb-disposal capabilities if different robots.
Also of interest are technologies to develop bomb-disposal weapons that enable their operators to use them to destroy IEDs at a safe distance. ONR scientists also are interested in stereolithography 3D imaging and printing technologies.
For underwater IED detection and disposal, ONR experts are emphasizing technologies that use unmanned underwater vehicles.
White papers are due to ONR no later than 23 April 2010 -- just 16 days away -- and full proposals are due no later than 9 July 2010.
For technical questions or concerns, contact ONR's Brian Almquist by e-mail at [email protected]. Business questions should be e-mailed to Sarah Malene at [email protected]. E-mail security questions to Diana Pacheco at [email protected].
More information about this solicitation is online at https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=08dc1b395b9cb99d3c44e365feda8435&tab=core&_cview=0.
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