Standoff Chemical Detector for Vehicles - RFI

The DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center (CBC) is conducting market research to identify potential sources capable of providing optical standoff imaging technologies suitable for integration onto unmanned ground platforms to detect, map, and characterize chemical contamination on materiel surfaces. This RFI seeks to assess industry interest, capability, and technical maturity in support of DEVCOM CBC's mission to remove the Warfighter from contaminated environments and accelerate post-incident recovery operations. The Government intends to use the information received to refine requirements, assess technology readiness, and inform future acquisition planning. Proposed optical sensors should be able to scan surfaces from a 2-5 m standoff distance, integrate onto an unmanned ground platform (system weighing under 45 lbs if using a robotic arm), and scan at a rate of 5 m2 per minute. The systems must be operable under a wide range of environmental conditions, possess on-board processing for real-time detection, and export imaging information for contamination mapping models. Key capabilities include detecting gross to trace quantities of chemical contamination on various surfaces (CARC, glass, rubber) and in the presence of decontamination solutions, as well as detecting a variety of chemical agents and their degradation products. Lower TRL technologies may need additional development but should address scanning at 10 m2 per minute, being man-portable (under 12 lbs), or detecting a wide dynamic range of contamination. Responders should communicate a solid understanding of optical detection of chemical contamination on surfaces and articulate the strengths and limitations of their proposed sensor.