ARMY APPLICATIONS LABORATORY (AAL) SELECTS THREE COMPANIES TO DEVELOP DATA SYNC TECHNOLOGIES FOR MONITORING THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS OF SOLDIERS THROUGH NEW SOLDIERSYNC PROJECT
Willowview Consulting, Parasanti, and TurnAround Factor have been chosen to force sync existing wearables under the Optimizing the Human Weapon System (OHWS) effort, featuring the latest and greatest monitoring technology for holistic health, fitness and more
(AUSTIN, TEXAS – Jan. 03, 2023; source: Army Applications Laboratory) — Army Applications Laboratory (AAL) announces the selection of three companies for the SoldierSync project. The selected companies will further develop their data sync technologies to aid in measuring Soldiers’ holistic health and fitness levels. Part of the Optimizing the Human Weapon System (OHWS) effort, SoldierSync reduces the need for personal devices to sync wearables data, reduces human error in the sync process, and ensures a more consistent flow of data from Soldiers by creating technology that force syncs information from existing wearables. This increased collection of data will lead to better decision making for our Soldiers' holistic health.
“People are the U.S. military’s superpower,” said MAJ Nick Rinaldi, Human Performance (HP) portfolio lead for AAL. “We have to maximize the potential of our people, and that requires us to support Soldiers’ abilities to do more than just run fast and lift a lot of weight.”
SoldierSync is just one of the projects under AAL’s Human Performance focus area that connects to the Army’s larger effort of improving the health and readiness of our Soldiers. For more opportunities, or to join our network, visit aal.army/get-involved.
The SoldierSync project began September 2022, and the three companies selected will have 12 months to develop their prototypes.
Congratulations to the following companies on their selection to the SoldierSync project:
Eagle, Idaho
Willowview Consulting (WVC), a woman-owned business in Eagle, Idaho, presents the Automated Health Sync Hub. The SoldierSync program is directed at syncing commercial off the shelf (COTS) wearable devices using standalone wireless hubs, however, most COTS wearable devices require the user to open a third-party app on their phone to initiate syncing. WVC’s Automated Health Sync Hub will make this process easier by automatically syncing these COTS devices when the Soldiers enter the proximity of the hub. The primary goal of the project is to increase the reliability of the syncing process while removing the burden from the Soldiers. This hub can be used as a standalone syncing device but can also be used in conjunction with users’ phones to sync the data.
“Our world is becoming more data driven by the day,” said Ryan Kahre, WVC VP of Engineering. “I am very excited for this opportunity to facilitate the transformation of data into decisions that will improve our Soldiers’ lives.”
Austin, Texas
Parasanti, a company redefining how enterprise fleets of devices are connected, presents the Wearable Edge Data Download. Parasanti seeks to build a secure framework to integrate any sensor, any network, anywhere, to allow data to optimize Soldiers’ performance. For this project, the team utilizes their software and hardware solutions to collect and process data in real time from Soldiers’ wearables and transport that data to the Army’s user interface.
“As a former Soldier myself and the father of a new soldier, I am very excited to help the Army in optimizing Soldier performance giving them that extra edge to be successful," said Josh Seagroves, CTO Parasanti.
Richmond, Virginia
TurnAround Factor (TAF) brings to the SoldierSync program their Embedded Node, which provides network connectivity both to a cloud environment as well as peer-to-peer connections between nodes. The team seeks to create an intuitive and effective way to collect the wearables data that requires minimal user input and is resilient to the addition of future wearables and product changes. The Bluetooth modules built in will allow connections to the wearables, with additional Bluetooth modules coming soon to allow simultaneous communication with more wearables. TAF plans to use multiple Embedded Nodes to provide coverage over different areas of the Ft. Drum campus.
“TAF is excited to be part of the SoldierSync project and to find new ways to promote healthy and effective warfighter readiness,” said Matthew Roy, TurnAround Factor R&D Program Manager.
ABOUT ARMY APPLICATIONS LABORATORY:
We don’t make things — we make things possible. The Army Applications Laboratory (AAL) is Army Futures Command’s innovation unit and a partner for industry, the Army, and government organizations. We discover practices and processes to speed capability development and turn cutting-edge ideas into real, relevant solutions for Soldiers. Learn how we do it at aal.army.
ABOUT ARMY FUTURES COMMAND:
Army Futures Command (AFC) is the operational architect of Army transformation – developing Army concepts, future force design, and requirements for future materiel. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, AFC has more than 19,000 people worldwide. The Army's six modernization priorities are the focus of AFC’s eight Cross-Functional Teams: Long Range Precision Fires; Next Generation Combat Vehicles; Future Vertical Lift; Network; Air and Missile Defense; Soldier Lethality; Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing/Space; and Synthetic Training Environment.
The Army Artificial Intelligence Integration Center, Army Software Factory and Army Applications Laboratory also support AFC efforts. Collaborating with entrepreneurs, scientists, industry and academia, AFC strives to create the best solutions to keep Soldiers safe and America strong. For more information, visit armyfuturescommand.com.
ABOUT OPTIMIZING THE HUMAN WEAPON SYSTEM:
Optimizing the Human Weapon System (OHWS) was developed in response to the growing impact of the worldwide pandemic on the US Army with three goals: provide a screening and triage tool for infectious disease at the operational level; provide specific raw data to the medical modeling effort; and support (when ready) operational assessment of a susceptibility to illness algorithm. OHWS has since grown to be a new operating model for embedded research, a true partnership with operational units integrating logistics, planning, mission command, supporting enablers, training and education, and reach back capability.
The capabilities provided by the OHWS effort allow the US Army to think, learn, and analyze essential human performance and wellness data in an ecologically valid way. Insights from this effort will feed requirements for data analysis to include enabling functions such as: Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F); identifying critical relationships that quantify and qualify the Human Weapon System; and assistance in learning how we train/fight/recover and use HP data. Secondarily, OHWS will illuminate challenging areas such as: complexity of lifecycle implication to wellness and performance, behavioral shifts at the individual and unit level, infrastructure limitation, and on/off duty necessity for understanding performance.
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MEDIA NOTE:
For general press inquiries about AAL and SoldierSync, please contact the team at Juice Consulting:
Tyler Ostby
210 854 9119
Heather Wagner Reed
713 208 3891