Jane Edwards
The U.S. Army’s innovation unit has announced the selection of four companies for the Soldier Power Cohort that seeks to explore and build technologies that can generate, manage, store and distribute power to warfighters deployed in expeditionary environments.
Epirus, Resonant Link, Spark Thermionics and Xerion Advanced Battery will get $100,000 to build conceptual designs meant to address the military service’s requirement under the Huntington Ingalls Industries-managed Soldier Power Cohort, the Army Applications Laboratory said Tuesday.
“We need to find a smart way to lighten that load for Soldiers who work in expeditionary environments for days at a time,” said Col. Jay Wisham, director of AAL.
“While the commercial market for these technologies is relatively niche, both the Army and industry are facing similar challenges in how to maintain power for devices when away from the grid. This Cohort offers a way to join forces and move the field forward while keeping our Soldiers safe and effective in the harshest environments,” Wisham added.
In October, AAL announced the eight-week Soldier Power Cohort, which focuses on three technology areas: power generation and conversion; high-density energy storage; and intelligent power management and distribution.
The cohort kicked off on Jan. 24. AAL expects presentations of concept designs to occur on March 17.
