N251-059 TITLE: Low Cost, Rugged Laser Eye Protection for Sailors, Marines, Soldiers, and Ground Support

OUSD (R&E) CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Advanced Materials;Directed Energy (DE)

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

OBJECTIVE: Develop and deliver innovative, low cost, rugged, scratch resistant, lightweight, dismounted soldier-wearable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the form of interchangeable flexible lenses that can be inserted into currently existing and used U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) ballistic protection eyewear or eyeglass frames that will greatly reduce the hazards from adversarial threats or unintentional friendly high energy laser (HEL) on the battlefield.

DESCRIPTION: High energy lasers (HELs) have been and are being deployed on the current battlefield, and these threats are only forecast to increase in power and spectral diversity in the future. HELs use in both conventional and non-conventional warfare means that the risks to the human eye are increasing and include their potential use on the battlefield by allied and friendly forces. The threat of optical damage within the eye, from intentional or inadvertent illuminations, can result from lower powers and spectral frequencies that are significantly different than those that can be physically seen with the eye (e.g., infrared (IR) or ultraviolet (UV)) or felt (e.g., thermally sensed on skin). Current laser eye protection (LASPRO) systems are expensive, prone to damage (scratched easily), and not compatible with currently issued ballistic protection eyewear. These issues drive this SBIR topic for innovation in new LASPRO PPE for USMC ground troops and front-line soldiers. The sought solution to the problem of lack of easy to obtain LASPRO does not have to provide complete protection against all HEL types with one single lens, but instead the development of an easy to swap out series of multiple, inexpensive lenses that can be used to provide spectrally-specific protection over a known portion of the entire electromagnetic or light spectrum. For example, if a soldier can have a group of four or five lenses that provide sufficient protection from a majority of potential threats and hazards, this would enable mission completion with lower potentials for injury or fratricide. More specifically, if a lens could be clipped into an existing ballistic eye protection frame offering near infrared (NIR) wavelength protections such as that used with neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) lasers based on other warnings or tactical protocols, permanent eye damage may be completely avoided. However, such PPE developed for industrial users of HELs are far too fragile, costly, and difficult to wear when using military hardware.

The PPE LASPRO proposals should focus on researching and evolving a rugged, soldier wearable "clip in" product that is low cost (objective of under $50/lens in production quantities of 10,000 or more) while offering protective optical densities (OD) of 6 or more. Further, since HEL sources can have irradiances greater than 10 W/cm2 or powers greater than 500 W, innovative techniques may be necessary to shield from damage while allowing standard military operations to continue. Where possible, Photopic Luminous Transmittance (PLT) should be maintained for the visible light spectrum (400-750nm), even though some lasers encountered may use visible light sources (e.g., blue, green, or red color spectrums) and have eye damaging level of illumination. In these cases, transmittance in a specific pre-determined band (e.g., green, 500-560nm) should be reduced to below nominal ocular hazard damage levels when the appropriate lens is used. While some degradation may be acceptable for some operations, others may find it unacceptable to limit the spectrum completely through complete reflection, absorption, or scatter. In those cases, the amount of optical density for wavelengths may require special tailoring to meet mission based on those needs and may have higher cost acceptance. And while some technologies like photochromatic change may be useful, the cost and reaction time required to achieve the desired levels of protection (or speed of change in optical density) may be seen as unacceptable. Ultimately, the LASPRO PPE must demonstrably reduce the potential for burn injury/retinal/eye damage. Proposers should also note that HEL LASPRO PPE that spectrally reflects laser light versus scattered reflections or defused reflections could also result in eye injuries of unprotected bystanders. The HEL LASPRO PPE must be unpowered, durable, wearable, flexible, temperature insensitive (-40°F to +140°F) and able to be carried by an individual soldier in a small case or protective cloth drawstring bag which is easily put on or attached to a jacket, vest, or pants pocket.

Work produced in Phase II may become classified. Note: The prospective contractor(s) must be U.S. owned and operated with no foreign influence as defined by 32 U.S.C. § 2004.20 et seq., National Industrial Security Program Executive Agent and Operating Manual, unless acceptable mitigating procedures can and have been implemented and approved by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) formerly Defense Security Service (DSS). The selected contractor must be able to acquire and maintain a secret level facility and Personnel Security Clearances. This will allow contractor personnel to perform on advanced phases of this project as set forth by DCSA and ONR in order to gain access to classified information pertaining to the national defense of the United States and its allies; this will be an inherent requirement. The selected company will be required to safeguard classified material during the advanced phases of this contract IAW the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM), which can be found at Title 32, Part 2004.20 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

PHASE I: Research and develop innovative approaches to personal HEL LASPRO. Deliver technical reports detailing scientific and programmatic progress and potential options for configurations and lens development. At minimum, provide a technical report detailing the proposed materiel solution with expected (from accepted modeling and simulation methods) or laboratory testing to collect protection data and levels in terms of spectral OD capability from laser direct illumination, expected cost, and ability to be ruggedized. Address manufacture readiness levels (MRL), wearability, flexibility, weight, and size. Ensure that the approaches’ ability to preserve visual performance, visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and color perception while increasing readiness of soldier or ground troops when in the use of a laser (friendly or threat) is supportable by verifiable, documented technical data collected, sound reasoning, and substantial evidence. Any modeling and simulation shall use commonly available software tools and also shall be shared with military services and government agencies for peer review. If possible, an initial functional prototype should have completed within the laboratory. (Note: No direct or indirect human or animal testing shall be permitted or conducted in Phase I. All preparation for initial Institutional Review Board (IRB) shall be prepared in Phase I for entrance into Phase II.)

PHASE II: Develop a prototype lens for laboratory testing. The R&D is a baseline for a system or series of easily available, functional, future HEL LASPRO PPE clip in lenses for Marines, Sailors, and ground crews offering effective battlefield eye shielding shall be established and advanced for laboratory testing. The end-state is the ability to provide soldiers individual LASPRO at a cost and availability that supports mission activities in otherwise restrictive or adversarial conditions. An Institutional Review Board (IRB) shall be required in Phase II at the end of laboratory testing. Human factor and human subject testing are critical in follow-on Phases of this topic and ultimately support the warfighter, Navy and Marine Corps training and operational capability, and ensure the competency of the Navy medical department- includes the development of personal protective equipment such as body armor, hearing protection, helmets and of course, eyewear. Please carefully review the requirements of approval for proposals that include testing of human subject and compliance with Institutional Review Board (IRB): https://www.nre.navy.mil/work-with-us/how-to-apply/compliance-and-protections/research-protections

It is probable that the work under this effort will be classified under Phase II (see Description section for details).

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Support transition of the product to a Program of Record through a USMC MCSC, Navy, Army, USAF, or OSD level Product Manager. The baseline is for HEL LASPRO PPE for Soldiers on the battlefield or where tactics are being practiced with emerging high energy laser sources. The end-state is the ability for Soldiers to have extra time if and when irradiated, to complete a mission, or to evade or engage any threats. Additional tasks in follow on testing, evaluations, refinement and modification to improve user acceptance, provide wider spectrum protections, enhance usability or performance are possible.

Additionally, a commercial need for such low cost, rugged LASPRO exists and would help in driving down fabrication costs as the market grows. Potential markets include industrial users of lasers or other intense sources of heat and radiant energy in the field.

REFERENCES:

1. Maier, D.; Brockmeier, W.; Hasten, J. and Edsall, P. "PHYSICAL AND OPTICAL EVALUATION OF REFLECTIVE DIELECTRIC LASER EYE PROTECTION (LEP) SPECTACLES." United States Air Force Research Laboratory, September 2001. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA395372.pdf

2. Hennigs, C.; Hustedt, M.; Kaierle, S.; Wenzel, D.; Markstein, S. and Hutter, A. "Passive and Active Protective Clothing against High-Power Laser Radiation." Physics Procedia, Vol 41, 2013, pp. 291-301. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1875389213000953

3. Gildea, K. M. and Jack, D. "Laser eye protection and the effect of two types of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on color perception."

Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Aerospace Medicine, Washington, DC, 2018. https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/56989

4. O. Edwards, N. Lawrence, E.Healy, "Robust Fixed Wavelength Laser Eye Protection" (1994), Report DAAK60-89-0001, https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA294398.pdf

5. "National Industrial Security Program Executive Agent and Operating Manual (NISP), 32 U.S.C. § 2004.20 et seq. (1993)." https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-32/subtitle-B/chapter-XX/part-2004

6. ANSI Z136.1-2022, American National Standard for Safe Use of Lasers.

7. ANSI Z136.7-2020, American National Standard for Testing and Labeling of Laser Protective Equipment.

8. OPNAV INSTRUCTION 5100.27C 2 /MARINE CORPS ORDER 5104.1D, Navy and Marine Corps Laser Hazards Control Program

KEYWORDS: Directed Energy Weapons, Lasers, High Energy Lasers, HEL, Eye Protection, LASPRO, Eyewear, Optical Materials, Personal Protection Equipment, PPE

TPOC 1: Peter Morrison
Email: [email protected]

TPOC 2: Kristy Hentchel
Email: [email protected]

TPOC 3: Jonathan Vernon
Email: [email protected]

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