DON27BX01-NP001 TITLE: ONR - Open Topic for Low-Cost Heads Up Displays (HUDs) for Virtual & Augmented Reality (VR/AR)
COMPONENT TECHNOLOGY PRIORITY AREA(S): Human-Machine Interfaces;Integrated Sensing and Cyber
PROJECTED CMMC LEVEL REQUIREMENT: Level 2 (Self)
OBJECTIVE: Develop a commercial technology to address Navy and USMC gaps regarding low-cost, NDAA-compliant heads-up displays (HUDs) with on-board 6 degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) tracking.
DESCRIPTION: ONR requests proposals for existing technology demonstration platforms, prototypes, and commercial products that provide domestically-sourced, low-cost HUDs) for first-person view (FPV) drone pilots, and augmented reality (AR) capabilities for Forward Observers (FOs) and Joint Terminal Air Controllers (JTACs). For Phase I awardees, ONR will provide operational context and technical thresholds against which technologies will be assessed and provide feedback and guidance on enhancements to align with warfighting objectives.
The proposing small business should have an existing hardware solution that meets one or both technical areas listed below:
- HUD for FPV pilot operations including integrated display, signal inputs, and locations for mounting organic FPV equipment including antennas, transmitters, and power supplies
- Integrated HUD with native 6DOF tracking, using on-board sensors and modalities (cameras, Inertial Measurement or Measuring Units [IMUs], magnetometers), compute, and power (battery)
PHASE I: The DON is planning to issue multiple Phase I awards for this topic but reserves the right to issue no awards. Each Phase I proposal must include a Base and Option period of performance. The Phase I Base must have a period of performance of six (6) months at a cost not to exceed $200,000. The Phase I Option must have a period of performance of six (6) months at a cost not to exceed $115,000. Phase I feasibility will describe the existing proposed technology, existing DON system(s) to improve/replace, expected improvements to existing capabilities, and a transition approach to both the DON system and commercial sector. Phase I results will be detailed in a final technical report (Final Report) and presented during the project outbrief one month prior to Final Report submission.
Phase I deliverables include:
- Kick-Off Briefing, due 15 days from start of Base award
- Progress Report, due 90 days from start of Base award
- Final Report, due 180 days from start of Base award
- Quad Chart, due 180 days from start of Base award
- Initial Phase II Proposal, due 180 days from start of Base award
The Phase I Option, if exercised, will include the initial design specifications and capabilities description to build and deliver a prototype solution in Phase II.
PHASE II: All Phase I awardees may submit an Initial Phase II proposal for evaluation and selection. The evaluation criteria for Phase II are the same as Phase I (as stated in this CSO). The Phase I Final Report and Initial Phase II Proposal will be used to evaluate the small business’s potential to fill a capability gap, improve performance, or modernize an existing capability for DON and transition the technology to Phase III. Details on the due date, content, and submission requirements of the Initial Phase II Proposal will be provided by the awarding SYSCOM either in the Phase I contract or by subsequent notification.
The scope of the Phase II effort will be specific to each project but is generally expected to include development of a functional prototype to demonstrate the capability, development of a transition plan addressing production and the fielding approach (including updated logistics and safety consideration) and further commercialization (non-DoW).
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Support incorporation of low-cost HUDs into the Fires programs of record within the USMC for FOs, JTACs, and FPV drone attack operators.
Since the Navy is seeking commercial technologies (e.g., FPV), these technologies already have existing commercial applications.
REFERENCES:
KEYWORDS: Heads Up Display, Augmented Reality, Human-Machine Interface, First Person Drone, Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality
TPOC 1 : Peter Squire
peter.n.squire.civ@us.navy.milTPOC 2 : Ethan Hada
ethan.a.hada.civ@us.navy.mil
| 10/12/26 | Q. | 1. What duration of operation are the batteries expected to support?
2. This is clearly a military intended system - at what level is MilSpec qualification anticipated while still meeting "low cost" and "commercial applications"? for example :Full Mil-Std-810H ? or IP67 only ? 3. What types of antennas/transmitters/power supplies are anticipated to support the intended frequency bands/distances/transmitted power? 4. Any sense of the IMU resolution requirement? 5. Must the entire solution be self-contained, or can the solution be split into two functional entities ? |
| A. | 1. There are no specific price, FoV, diopter, resolution, brightness, latency, weight, endurance, or tracking accuracy threshold performance criteria parameters required for topic call submission or consideration. As described in the topic call, operational context and technical thresholds will be provided for Phase I awardees.
2. As this is an Office of Naval Research SBIR topic call, it is intended for military applications. As described in the topic call, the specific operational context and technical thresholds will be provided to Phase I awardees - however, for Phase I, no specific accreditation for environmental engineering requirements are required for consideration. In later phases, for transition, hardware devices are expected to meet the associated deployment requirements identified by the transition sponsor. 3. The intent for the Phase I device is to demonstrate a domestically-sourced HUD compatible with FPV, JTAC, FO, and related AR activities. Specific antenna and transmitter combinations will be specified after Phase I selection. 4. Ideal solutions would achieve 1 meter or better position estimation accuracy for global location entry and 6DOF estimation, however, there is no specific cutoff accuracy threshold required for proposal consideration. 5. HUD solutions must be self-contained (i.e., monolithic) hardware solutions for Phase I consideration. |
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| 10/9/26 | Q. | 1. What are targeted unit price, field of view, eye-relief, diopter, display resolution, brightness, latency, weight, battery endurance, or tracking accuracy?
2. Does an FPV-only submission satisfy the topic without native 6DOF tracking at entry? 3. What minimum integration level is expected of the existing hardware, and can a teamed hardware platform satisfy that expectation? 4. What cost basis and sourcing/compliance criteria should proposers use before ONR supplies the detailed thresholds? |
| A. | 1. There are no specific price, FoV, diopter, resolution, brightness, latency, weight, endurance, or tracking accuracy threshold performance criteria parameters required for topic call submission or consideration. Ideal solutions would conform to ‘commercial’ price point HUDs, however, the notional price point is acknowledged as an example, not a limit. As described in the topic call, operational context and technical thresholds will be provided for Phase I awardees. Candidate solutions will provide domestically-sourced HUDs compatible with a variety of forward-deployed military activities including FPV drone operations, JTACs, and FOs.
2. As described in the topic call, an FPV-only HUD submission without on-board 6DOF tracking would not satisfy the objective of the SBIR topic. 3. Phase I device proposals should provide real-time sensor feed publication and bi-directional message integration with external systems to enable visualization of situational awareness iconography, video feed (FPV drones), and other HUD overlays. 4. All cost threshhold information can be found in the DON instructions posted on https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/. |
** TOPIC NOTICE ** |
The Navy Topic above is an "unofficial" copy from the Navy Topics in the DoW FY-27 Release 1 SBIR BAA. Please see the official DoW Topic website at www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/solicitation-documents/active-solicitations for any updates. The DoW issued its Navy FY-27 Release 1 SBIR Topics pre-release on October 7, 2026 which opens to receive proposals on October 28, 2026, and closes November 25, 202 (12:00pm ET). Direct Contact with Topic Authors: During the pre-release period (October 7, through October 27, 2026) proposing firms have an opportunity to directly contact the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) to ask technical questions about the specific BAA topic. The TPOC contact information is listed in each topic description. Once DoW begins accepting proposals on October 28, 2026 no further direct contact between proposers and topic authors is allowed unless the Topic Author is responding to a question submitted during the Pre-release period. DoD On-line Q&A System: After the pre-release period, until November 11, 2026, at 12:00 PM ET, proposers may submit written questions through the DoW On-line Topic Q&A at https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/login/ by logging in and following instructions. In the Topic Q&A system, the questioner and respondent remain anonymous but all questions and answers are posted for general viewing.
DoW Topics Search Tool: Visit the DoW Topic Search Tool at www.dodsbirsttr.mil/topics-app/ to find topics by keyword across all DoW Components participating in this BAA.
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