The Soldier Status Monitoring Operation
pursued the concept of the INVINCIBLE SOLDIER. Facilitating
technologies would include capabilities to:
- Monitor soldier status
- Enhance soldier
performance
- Predict soldier
performance
- Minimize soldier
casualty
These capabilities in turn suggest five areas
for research and development in the general field of soldier status
monitoring. These areas are operational capability, casualty
monitoring, casualty care, NBC detection and modeling methodologies.
Originally, the group suggested ten different
objectives. It might make sense to group these into a large cluster
of objectives that deals with biologically oriented projects
involving direct interaction inside the soldier’s body, and a series
of less invasive objectives. The less invasive objectives would
include those labeled one to five and eight in the document to
follow. Areas six, and seven comprise the invasive procedures.
The different target objectives have different
time scales. These are as follows:
Objective Title Timescale
- Critical Laboratory and
Pharmacy on the Soldier Long term to visionary
- Soldier Status Direct
Monitoring Near term to long term
- Local Area Monitoring
Near term to long term
- Soldier Performance
Prediction and Virtual Near term to long term
Prototyping
- Active Water
Reclamation Long term to visionary
- Enhanced Biological
Interaction with the Soldier Long term to visionary
- Internal Data,
Chemical, Communications and Visionary
Signal Processing
(artificial systems within the soldier)
- Integrated Bioenergy
Devices For Driving Sensors Long term to visionary
Objective 1:
Clinical Laboratory and Pharmacy on the Soldier - Real Time
Assessment and Intervention
Areas: Operational capability, NBC
detection, casualty monitoring
General Idea: Soldier performance and
status are related to a number of definable and measurable
benchmarks. Additionally, external systems such as clothing and
cooling can directly enhance operational capability.
RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS:
Need-Driven Research:
Automatic
monitoring and response to predetermined criteria (developing a set
of standards for intervention)
Blood pressure
stabilization
Advanced,
dynamically reconfigurable, sensitive, robust sensors
Controlled release
of pharmacological agents
Opportunity-Driven Research:
Develop clothing to
stop bleeding, by artificial skin formation, compression/
constriction
Build pharmacy
platform for release, with figures of merit
Critical Proof of Concept Demonstrations:
Assessing trauma in
real time
Response to trauma
in real time - blood pressure stabilization, skin patch formation,
pharma dosing
Objective 2:
Soldier Status Direct Monitoring: Biochemical, Physiological,
Sensory and Psychological; Status Security
Areas: Operational capability, casualty
monitoring, modeling
General Idea: Permit quantifying and
measurement of markers for health, psychological and physiological
well-being, sensory capabilities and operational functionality of
the individual soldier. Also communicate with command after
mortality.
RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS:
Need-Driven Research:
System must be
modular, compatible, open and dynamical architecture
Exact requirements
for what must be measured and the accuracy with which the
measurements are needed must be established
Components must be
biocompatible
Ideally, the
general chemical and biochemical framework should be established to
permit development of new sensors for any given target within a two
month period. Optical or electrical nano response seem obvious ways
to do this.
Allow command to
know if individual soldier has died
Opportunity-Driven Research:
Dynamic molecular
recognition with signal transduction based both on implantable and
surface technologies
Tissues to do
artificial sensing (amplification of signals, entrained biosensors)
Develop novel
molecules/new molecular categories/macromolecular recognition
elements
Develop new
sensors, on the two-month timescale for physical, biological and
chemical markers
Integrate sensing
with efficient automated secure communications with command
Critical Proof of Concept Demonstrations:
Demonstration of a
wide array of simultaneous sensing capability, without interference
Match performance
targets for signal/noise
Demonstrate that a
single unified platform can be used for various analytes at the same
time - for example, biotoxins and neuro transmitter levels
Demonstration of
sensing within living systems
Objective 3:
Local Area Monitoring
Areas: NBC detection
General Idea: To permit the soldier to
be aware of any NBC factors within his perimeter, in real time and
with appropriate sensitivity
RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS:
Need-Driven Research:
Develop extremely
sensitive and selective nanoscale sensors for all important N, B, C
markers
Determine which factors need to be detected,
and what sensitivities are required
Plume mapping for
predictive capability and motion guiding in opportunity given
research
Develop generic
sensors that can be optimized to recognize threats that are not
predicted
Single molecule
detection
Chemical cascade
detection
Sensors for
acoustic or other types of weapons - non-molecular threats,
including electromagnetics
Integrating
sensing/modeling for prediction of threats – real time modeling
Critical Proof of Concept Demonstrations:
Detection at
appropriate levels, in realtime atmospheric conditions
Detection in
presence of interfering substances and NBC signals
Object 4:
Soldier Performance Prediction and Virtual Prototyping
Areas: Operational capability, casualty
monitoring and modeling
General Idea: Integrate specific data
to evaluate overall capability and predict performance.
RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS:
Need-Driven Research:
Establish minimal
and maxima for performance - quantitative criteria
Collect and
integrate data based on a wide-array of nanosensor structures
Integrate modeling
capabilities to predict performance of individual soldiers
Opportunity-Driven Research:
Multi-parametric
prediction algorithms, with realtime capability
Biomimetic data
analysis, in computational and predictive algorithms
Critical Proof of Concept Demonstrations:
Performance based
on animal modeling comparison with measurement
Implant nanosensors
in animal testing
Demonstrate
monitoring of critical status in living organisms, by nanosensor
measurements and integrated data analysis
Objective 5:
Active Water Reclamation - "Dune still suit"
Areas: Operational capability, casualty
care
General Idea: Recycle water from
biological body wastes, to provide recyclable water source.
RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS:
Need-Driven Research:
Reduce necessity
for soldier to carry water
Develop
purification schemes of high efficiency
Develop delivery
system for collection and storage of water
Balance
electrolytes and hydration for individual soldiers
Opportunity-Driven Research:
Increase the amount
of water reclaimed
High throughput
nano-filtration
Quantitative
estimates of amounts of water that can be reclaimed from various
sources (sweat, exhalation, urine)
Critical Proof of Concept Demonstrations:
Demonstrate lack of
dehydration in living organism with highly reduced added water
Objective 6:
Total Sensory and Mechanical Enhancement (Biological)
Areas: Operational capability and
modeling
General Idea: Utilize electrical,
physical and electromagnetic, as well as biological, structures to
enhance the native senses of the individual soldier
RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS:
Need-Driven Research:
Widen observed
visible and audible spectra
Dramatically
increase sensitivity of senses within the individual soldier;
provide maximum capabilities for information process and utilization
Dramatically
increase physical capability
Advance spectral
filtering methods (visual, auditory)
Opportunity-Driven Research:
Neuro functional
implants
Spectral mapping
(materials, frequency)
Integrated enhanced
tissue, muscle, bones, tendons
Critical Proof of Conduct Demonstration:
Soft contact lense
that does realtime spectral mapping
Enhance muscle
performance over current human capabilities
Dynamical auditory
balancing structure, to permit optimal hearing sensitivity over
multi decibel range
Objective 7:
Internal Data, Chemical, Communications and Signal Processing
(artificial systems within the soldier)
Areas: Operational capability, NBC
detection, casualty care, casualty monitoring and modeling
General Idea: This is a high risk, visionary
program to develop internal measuring, monitoring, data processing
and communications capabilities. It should all be integrated with
the command structure, and function without requiring attention from
the individual soldier.
RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS:
Need-Driven Research:
Single transduction
reception with the soldier and back to command
All components
(implanted and native) must communicate, be transduced and link to
command center
Develop pin-size,
biocompatable nano computers that can transduce data from sensors,
process and communicate with command
Onboard integration
and control of sensing elements, without external manipulation
Biological
input/output structures
Determine where
placement of automatic monitoring/response structures within the
body should be
Opportunity-Driven Research:
Molecular computing
and communication - robust and effective data processing and
communication using natural energy sources
Communication
within the body and to external command and control
Computer assembly
and/or implantation within the body
Institute
biopolymer growth
Institute chemical
delivery as required
Artificial
therapeutic issues
Critical Proof of Concept Demonstrations:
Demonstrate
patching of wounds/regeneration of tissues within accelerated
timescales or hours or minutes
Demonstrate in-situ
chemical delivery without external sources - integrate sensing and
dosage
Demonstrate
implanted miniature computers that can process signals, receive
signals and transmit signals in living organisms
Demonstrate deep
implant sensing physiological markers
Demonstrate
capability of deep implants to process data and relay to external
site
Objective 8:
Integrated Bioenergy Devices For Driving Sensors
Areas: Operational capability, casualty
monitoring and care
General Idea: Retain the energy
generated by the individual soldier that would, otherwise, be lost.
RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS:
Need-Driven Research:
Need molecular
energy source to drive sensors
Utilize power
generated by human activity
Opportunity-Driven Research:
Use of metabolites
and chemicals to drive soldier systems
Use dynamic thermal
gradients based on temperature differentials between the soldier
body and the external environment to provide power as needed
Critical Proof of Concept Demonstrations:
Use fat, ion
gradients, metabolites to power sensors
Demonstrate energy
generation from thermal atmospheric/body temperature gradients in
continuously functional device. Require "working fluids" that can
work in elevated or reduced external temperatures
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