Challenge Statement

The Department of National Defence (DND) seeks the means to enable human operators to perform tasks in extreme conditions including cold or hot and humid /dry environments, for extended periods interspersed by intense activity and inactivity. Manual dexterity issues in cold environments and mitigating thermal strain in hot/humid environments should be addressed. DND seeks innovative solutions in both physical and psychological conditioning aspects.

Background and Context

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are developing concepts and strategies for future ground combat operations in the 2025-2040 timeframe that will require highly capable and dispersed units to achieve a common objective. Advancements in domains such as textiles, portable power sources, mobile computing, and data fusion technologies may converge to allow enhanced protection for soldiers operating in long-duration isolated and autonomous units in very austere environments. The ability for military units to operate without re-supply opportunities will require high calorie rations for physically demanding operations to ensure adequate muscular fuel and restoration after intense physical activity.

Outcomes & Considerations

The expected outcomes may include, but not be limited to, solutions that:

• aid soldiers in maintaining physical performance and/or fortify energy reserves in hot and cold, and/or for autonomous long-duration missions;
• enhance adaptive physiological responses to physical training and/or to mitigate negative physiological responses to harsh environment exposure;
• allow continuous and unobtrusive physiological monitoring;
• include pre-deployment acclimation strategies and techniques for austere environments; and/or
• respect all ethical standards.

Solutions must also consider relevant gender based analysis (GBA+) factors.