The Pentagon today announced a $1 million prize for the winner of a contest to develop "a wearable electric power system." The idea doesn't quite have the visual appeal of the DARPA Grand Challenge, which featured a robot race across the Mojave, but this contest (sponsored by the Pentagon's Director of Defense Research and Engineering) has the same spirit of good old-fashioned competition:
The essential electronic equipment that dismounted warfighters carries today - radios, night vision devices, global positioning system - runs on batteries.This competition will gather and test the good ideas for reducing the weight of the batteries that service members carry.The prize objective is a wearable, prototype system that can power a standard warfighter's equipment for 96 hours but weighs less than half that of the current batteries carried.All components, including the power generator, electrical storage, control electronics, connectors and fuel must weigh four kilograms or less, including any attachments.
Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams in a final competitive demonstration planned for the fall of 2008. At this "wear-off," individuals or teams will demonstrate their prototype systems under realistic conditions.The top three competitors that demonstrate a complete, wearable system that produces 20 watts average power for 96 hours but weighs less than 4 kilograms (~8.8 lbs) will win the prizes.
There's also substantial cash prizes for second and third place.
