SBIR-STTR Award

fORE II: fNIRS Operational Readiness Estimation
Award last edited on: 12/3/22

Sponsored Program
STTR
Awarding Agency
DOD : DHA
Total Award Amount
$1,750,000
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
DHA19B-001
Principal Investigator
Lisa Lucia

Company Information

Aptima Inc

12 Gill Street Suite 1400
Woburn, MA 01801
   (781) 935-3966
   aptima_info@aptima.com
   www.aptima.com

Research Institution

Wright State University

Phase I

Contract Number: W81XWH20P0022
Start Date: 2/24/20    Completed: 11/23/20
Phase I year
2020
Phase I Amount
$250,000
Thestate of warfighters (whether theyarefatigued, distracted,and/or stressed)and of theteam (whether theyare workingtogethereffectivelyand cohesively)greatly impact thelikelihood ofmission success. The brain isan excellent source of data with which to assess individualand team states. Unfortunately,current technologiescannot supportcontinuous neural statemonitoring of warfightersacross themany differentenvironments in which they workand train. Together, Aptimaand partners proposeto develop thefNIRS Operational Readiness Estimation (fORE) technology suite. ThefORE solution consists of three components: (1)acustom fNIRS sensor device; (2)a data processingand analytics suite;and (3)a user interface(UI) that presentsassessments ofvarious physiologicaland psychological states such as readiness, attentiveness,workload,and fatigue. ThefORE fNIRS deviceshall berugged, portable,miniaturized,and capable of integration with existingequipment. The data processingand analytics suite willallow for conversion of raw fNIRS signals into estimates of individualand team functional states. ThefORE UI willallow for distributed and real-timeassessment of readiness or other physiological or psychological states. fOREwillallow for unobtrusive neurobiologicalassessment in dynamicenvironments,which is impossible with current neurobiological offerings.

Phase II

Contract Number: W81XWH-21-C-0083
Start Date: 6/30/21    Completed: 10/29/23
Phase II year
2021
Phase II Amount
$1,500,000
Information regarding the state of Warfighters (e.g., fatigue, distraction, stress) and of the team (e.g., cohesion) can greatly impact mission planning and the likelihood of mission success. Harnessing neural data collected via functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can be a game-changing tool for assessing individual and team states, but current technologies do not support continuous neural state monitoring of Warfighters in operational environments. The fNIRS Operational Readiness Estimation (fORE) technology suite addresses this challenge with data processing and analytics that translate raw neural data into estimates of individual and team functional states. The fORE solution consists of three components: (1) a custom fNIRS sensor, (2) a data processing and analytics suite, and (3) an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled decision support platform that displays actionable assessments and provides intervention recommendations. The fORE fNIRS device is designed to be rugged, unobtrusive, and highly portable for field deployment, and is capable of concurrent use with existing military equipment (e.g., flight suit, helmet). The fORE decision support platform enables distributed and real-time monitoring of physiological and cognitive states. When completed, Aptima’s fORE technology suite will allow for unobtrusive neurobiological assessment in dynamic environments that quantifies real-time Warfighter capabilities for better mission planning and dynamic re-planning during mission execution