Techniques to Extend Lens Longevity in Protective Eyewear
Amendment 0001:
QUESTION 1: Is this an open ended, general marketing research open to any technology, at any readiness level with no specific products or demonstration vehicles in mind?
RESPONSE: This is open ended, general market research. It is intended for protective eyewear applications.
QUESTION 2: Announcement indicates that respondents will not be notified of the results of the market research. However, any available details about testing or use or any samples submitted will be useful.
RESPONSE: The request for information is simply general market research. Samples may be provided to supplement the written submission, but this is optional. No testing is planned for samples submitted in response to the market survey.
QUESTION 3: Are there specific technologies that are of special interest? Are the sacrificial films, self-healing films referenced in the solicitation your primary interest? Are innovative or non-conventional solutions more sought or valued than those outlined in the announcement?
RESPONSE: The request for information is simply general market research for technologies/approaches with the potential to extend the wear life of an optical quality lens without compromising the ability of the lens to a) meet military ballistic fragmentation protection and other MIL-PRF-32432A requirements, and b) meet the optical, impact, and other characteristics required for ANSI Z87.1 compliance. All technologies/approaches that demonstrate value in this regard are of interest. We are not limiting submissions to any one specific technology/technique, the submission should address the issue of lens longevity (reduce the susceptibility of the lens to damage from abrasion/scratching, and thereby reduce the replacement rate of lenses in the field).
QUESTION 4: What is the maturity (TRL) of the technology?
RESPONSE: At this point, we are simply surveying the market for what companies have and/or are currently working on that could help in this area, along with the capabilities that work has to offer. Any TRL level is of interest for the purposes of the market survey.
QUESTION 5: What is the scope of work that you anticipate should your market research study lead to a BAA for development work?
RESPONSE: The intent of the request for information is to gather information on all ongoing work that could provide a valuable contribution with respect to extending the wear life of a lens.
Mary Prebensen, Program Acquisition Specialist, Email mary.k.prebensen.civ@mail.mil - Michelle Markey, Email Michelle.L.Markey.civ@mail.mil
