Navy soliciting briefs through DIU for PE monitoring, alerting system

The Navy is now soliciting "solution briefs" through the Defense Innovation Unit for a new physiological episode monitoring system with an objective of fielding a solution in 2020, according to an Oct. 9 Federal Business Opportunities notice.

The service had sought information from industry in March for technology that could detect and alert aircrews to the first signs of a potential physiological episode, Inside the Navy previously reported.

The Navy updated the FBO notice Oct. 9 to direct industry to DIU's website to submit a "solution brief" for the PE monitoring system. Responses are due Oct. 19.

"The real goal here is to find a physiological monitoring and alerting system that can predict and detect a physiological episode so that the aircrew can take corrective action before they become impaired or incapacitated," Joel Wathen, physiological monitoring integrated product team lead, said in an Oct. 9 Navy statement.

The Navy last month hosted about 40 companies at an industry day where it revealed in briefing slides that it hopes to start fielding solutions in 2020.

Those slides also tout DIU's "commercial solutions opening" process as significantly faster than a traditional FBO solicitation, adding that an award through the CSO process is usually made within 60 to 90 days.

Although a Navy program office leads the effort, the industry day also included a briefing from the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.