The DOD is searching for innovative solutions to address its energy needs, and XR technologies could play a role. The DOD aims to close energy knowledge gaps and improve understanding of how energy can enable or constrain critical missions and activities. The DOD has identified several ways in which immersive and metaverse technologies could help meet their energy-related objectives. These include VR/AR training solutions, tools for providing energy understanding, and visualization of data and information related to energy situational awareness. Selected solutions will focus on rapidly maturing capabilities that can be leveraged by deployed forces in the Indo-Pacific region and other military areas of responsibility. The DOD’s deadline for proposals is on March 31, 2023, with short technical presentations scheduled for May 30-31, 2023, in San Diego, California.
U.S. DOD Searching for Energy Solutions: XR Technologies Might Have a Role to Play
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is actively seeking solutions to address its energy needs, with XR technologies potentially playing a vital role. The DOD’s Operational Energy-Innovation (OE-I) office aims to close energy knowledge gaps and improve understanding of how energy can enable or constrain critical missions and activities. In its “Commanding Energy Needs Statement,” the DOD has outlined its goals and called for solutions that can consider multiple military use cases and inform better decision-making regarding energy-enabled operations.
The DOD’s energy usage is broad and diverse, ranging from liquid fuels to batteries, unreliable and “dirty” power grids to modern green energy plants, and permanent base power to mobile and austere power generation. The DOD aims to identify solutions that can collect, aggregate, and understand energy data while effectively communicating and displaying this data at appropriate levels.
To achieve its objectives, the DOD is looking for technology solutions across several key areas of interest. These include Energy Situational Awareness, Energy Informed Planning, Identifying Efficiencies, Interoperable Energy Networks, and Training and Education.
Energy Situational Awareness
The DOD is searching for capabilities that can collect, aggregate, and understand energy data, including remaining fuel supplies, required kilowatts per hour of operation, and power distribution disruptions. The collected data should be communicated and displayed effectively at the appropriate levels.
Energy Informed Planning
The DOD requires tools and techniques that can incorporate the impact of energy data into plans and courses of action. The solutions should use energy data to inform decisions ranging from logistics and prepositioning to maneuver and engagement.
Identifying Efficiencies
The DOD is searching for capabilities that can identify and realize opportunities to reduce energy consumption. Relevant solutions include tools and techniques that can identify trends in energy use and potential methods to reduce energy demand.
Interoperable Energy Networks
The DOD aims to invest in commanding energy that anticipates and prepares for evolving standards and capabilities. These investments should consider interoperability and open-source standards for hardware, software, and networks, along with current and potential future threats to ensure resilient future networks.
Training and Education
The DOD requires tools, processes, and techniques that can support intelligent decision-making and energy literacy. This need area also includes education and curriculums that can help improve understanding of energy’s impact on potential actions and identify and reinforce informed and effective energy decisions.
The results of the DOD’s search for solutions will inform decision-makers about emerging and available technology solutions that can enhance or improve the department’s operational capabilities. The use of XR technologies could potentially play an important role in addressing the DOD’s energy needs, and it will be interesting to see what technology solutions are identified as part of the DOD’s effort.
DOD Seeking Novel Energy Technologies: XR Technologies Could Play a Role
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is seeking novel energy technologies that could positively affect the joint force. The DOD has noted that immersive and metaverse technologies, including virtual, augmented, and mixed reality, could play an essential role in addressing the department’s energy needs.
The DOD has identified several ways in which XR technologies could help meet their energy-related objectives. These include VR/AR training solutions, tools for providing energy understanding at different levels, and visualization of data and information related to energy situational awareness. The DOD is also interested in solutions that enable near-real-time situational understanding and analytical tools and modeling/simulations.
Moreover, the DOD is seeking verifiable machine learning/artificial intelligence (ML/AI) enabled monitoring and trend analysis, AI-assisted human-in-the-loop (HITL) training solutions, and smart interfaces that increase interoperability and modularity.
The DOD is looking for solutions that can rapidly mature and can be leveraged by deployed forces in the Indo-Pacific region and other military areas of responsibility. Proposed solutions must also fill other needs within a broader policy and strategic context, including achieving positive climate impact and green technologies.
The DOD requires technologies that can adapt to and maximize the impact of energy resources, methods to ensure energy availability in contested environments, and decision support tools to improve situational awareness, understanding, and trust around energy resources. Proposed solutions should be interoperable with existing DOD resources and operations whenever possible, ensuring a smooth transition into a fielded capability.
Companies interested in participating in the DOD’s Innovation Outreach Solutions Meeting can submit a single application via email to the DOD. The DOD has specified that proposed solutions must be understandable and visualized appropriately for anticipated users, such as policy planners, base commanders, or operators.
DOD’s Deadline for Energy Technology Proposals Approaching
Companies interested in participating in the DOD’s search for novel energy technologies must submit their proposals by 5:00 PM EDT on March 31, 2023. Selected companies will then have a chance to make short technical presentations to government representatives about their potential solutions. The presentations are scheduled for May 30-31, 2023, in San Diego, California.
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