A forward observer with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division uses Integrated Tactical Network components during a live-fire exercise at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, in January 2019. (Kathryn Bailey/US Army)

WASHINGTON: Army Futures Command announced today that it has selected four companies to participate in a cohort exploring lightweight power and energy solutions that soldiers can carry on foot, with minimal burden, for days.

Under the eight-week Soldier Power Transfer cohort, AFC’s Army Applications Lab (AAL) chose Epirus, Resonant Link, Spark Thermionics and Xerion Advanced Battery to develop innovative power solutions for the service.

As part of the Soldier Power Cohort, companies are developing “innovative power generation and power conversion, high-density energy storage, and intelligent management and distribution technologies that can support self-sufficiency, reduce burdens, and lessen dependence on resupply,” according to the service press release.

According to an AAL factsheet on the cohort, which began Jan. 24, soldiers in expeditionary environments are increasingly carrying more electronic gear that requires power — upping the amount of weight they carry.

“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, in the Monday press release. “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.”

As part of the cohort, the companies are receiving $100,000 to develop conceptual designs to solve an existing Army problem. Participating Army offices included the Network Cross-Functional Team, the Soldier Lethality-CFT and the C5ISR Center. The Army Applications Lab is essentially the AFC’s innovation unit, seeking to connect the command to innovative, nontraditional contractors to solve Army problems.

Epirus, a startup company that develops directed energy systems and is working with General Dynamics to add counter-unmanned aerial system capabilities to Strykers, has a technology platform that brings high power density and efficiency, according to the AAL release.

The release states that Resonant Link has a wireless charge capability that could apply to the services’ tactical recharge needs. Spark Thermionics, the Army said, is trying to build “lightweight and fuel-flexible” electricity generation through thermionic energy conversion. Xerion Advanced Battery will offer the service its expertise in building high energy, fast charging lithium ion batteries that can power portable electronics, power tools and UASs.

After the Army-specific concepts designed by the companies are complete, “some” companies will be offered $250,000 for follow-on proof of technology and demonstration activities, according to the fact sheet. Design presentations are scheduled for March 17.