Notice2021-12162
Cooperative Research and Development Agreement: Evaluating Unmanned Surface Vessel Characteristics for Coast Guard Platforms
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
June 10, 2021
Issuing agencies
Homeland Security DepartmentCoast Guard
Abstract
The Coast Guard is announcing its intent to enter into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Sea Machines Robotics. Sea Machines Robotics will work with the USCG Research and Development Center (RDC) to modify the currently existing SM300 system installed on the USCG RDC unmanned surface vessel (USV) to determine what parameters and behaviors would be beneficial for USCG mission sets. Additionally, the agreement will investigate the current state of collision avoidance in autonomous unmanned surface vessels (USVs), to develop a better understanding of how these capabilities should be evaluated/regulated in the future. The Coast Guard invites other potential non-Federal participants, who have the interest and capability to bring similar contributions to this type of research, to submit proposals for consideration in similar CRADAs.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 110 (Thursday, June 10, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 110 (Thursday, June 10, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30968-30969]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-12162]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
[Docket No. USCG-2021-0236]
Cooperative Research and Development Agreement: Evaluating
Unmanned Surface Vessel Characteristics for Coast Guard Platforms
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of intent; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is announcing its intent to enter into a
Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Sea
Machines Robotics. Sea Machines Robotics will work with the USCG
Research and Development Center (RDC) to modify the currently existing
SM300 system installed on the USCG RDC unmanned surface vessel (USV) to
determine what parameters and behaviors would be beneficial for USCG
mission sets. Additionally, the agreement will investigate the current
state of collision avoidance in autonomous unmanned surface vessels
(USVs), to develop a better understanding of how these capabilities
should be evaluated/regulated in the future. The Coast Guard invites
other potential non-Federal participants, who have the interest and
capability to bring similar contributions to this type of research, to
submit proposals for consideration in similar CRADAs.
DATES: Comments must be submitted to the online docket via <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>, or reach the Docket Management Facility, on or
before July 12, 2021.
Synopses of proposals regarding future CRADAs must reach the Coast
Guard (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) on or before July 12, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments online at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>
following website instructions.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice
or wish to submit proposals for future CRADAs, contact Derek Meier,
Project Official, Surface Branch, U.S. Coast Guard Research and
Development Center, 1 Chelsea Street, New London, CT 06320, telephone
860-271-2600, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a2f0e6e18febccc4cde2d7d1c1c58ccfcbce"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="603224234d290e060f20151303074e0d090c">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Participation and Request for Comments
We request public comments on this notice. Although we do not plan
to respond to comments in the Federal Register, we will respond
directly to commenters and may modify our proposal in light of
comments.
Comments should be marked with docket number USCG-2021-0236 and
should provide a reason for each suggestion or recommendation. You
should provide personal contact information so that we can contact you
if we have questions regarding your comments; but please note that all
comments will be posted to the online docket without change and that
any personal information you include can be searchable online (see the
Federal Register Privacy Act notice regarding our public dockets, 73 FR
3316, Jan. 17, 2008). We also accept anonymous comments.
We encourage you to submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking
Portal at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. If your material cannot be
submitted using <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>, contact the Coast Guard
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). Documents mentioned in this
notice, and all public comments, are in our online docket at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> and can be viewed by following that website's
instructions. Additionally, if you go to the online docket and sign up
for email alerts, you will be notified when comments are posted or a
final rule is published.
Do not submit detailed proposals for future CRADAs to the Docket
Management Facility. Instead, submit them directly to the Coast Guard
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
Discussion
CRADAs are authorized under 15 U.S.C. 3710(a).\1\ A CRADA promotes
the transfer of technology to the private sector for commercial use, as
well as specified research or development efforts that are consistent
with the mission of the Federal parties to the CRADA. The Federal party
or parties agree with one or more non-Federal parties to share research
resources, but the Federal party does not contribute funding.
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\1\ The statute confers this authority on the head of each
Federal agency. The Secretary of DHS's authority is delegated to the
Coast Guard and other DHS organizational elements by DHS Delegation
No. 0160.1, para. II.B.34.
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CRADAs are not procurement contracts. Care is taken to ensure that
CRADAs are not used to circumvent the contracting process. CRADAs have
a specific purpose and should not be confused with procurement
contracts, grants, and other type of agreements.
Under the proposed CRADA, the R&D Center will collaborate with one
non-Federal participant. Together, the R&D Center and the non-Federal
participant will evaluate which USV characteristics and parameters
would be beneficial to the USCG mission set. Additionally, both
partners will evaluate how collision avoidance technology should be
validated on these platforms in the future. We anticipate that the
Coast Guard's contributions under the proposed CRADA will include the
following:
1. Provide appropriate staff with expertise to accomplish the above
mentioned tasks.
2. Draft test plan.
3. Provide all support resources, including travel for Coast Guard
staff that support this CRADA.
4. Obtain, transport, and provide all of the parts, tools, and
equipment necessary to prepare the platform for Sea Machines Robotics
modifications.
5. Provide the 29RDC and qualified crew for the testing.
6. Provide all resources required for the conduct of the testing on
the 29RDC.
7. Execute the testing IAW with the agreed upon test plan.
We anticipate that the non-Federal participants' contributions
under the proposed CRADA will include the following:
[[Page 30969]]
1. Provide appropriate staff with expertise to support the above
mentioned tasks.
2. Provide all support resources, including travel for Sea Machines
Robotics staff who support this CRADA, if required.
3. Provide the technical data package for all equipment, including
dimensions, weight, power requirements, and other technical
considerations for the additional components to be utilized under this
CRADA.
4. Review test plan.
5. Provide any specific training, along with technical support, to
those Coast Guard members evaluating the technology proposals submitted
for this CRADA.
The Coast Guard will provide no funding for reimbursement of
proposal development costs. Proposals and any other material submitted
in response to this notice will not be returned. Proposals submitted
are expected to be unclassified and have not more than five single-
sided pages (excluding cover page, DD 1494, JF-12, etc.). The Coast
Guard will select proposals at its sole discretion on the basis of:
(1) How well they communicate an understanding, of and ability to
meet, the proposed CRADA's goal; and
(2) How well they address the following criteria:
(a) Technical capability to support the non-Federal party
contributions described, and
(b) Resources available for supporting the non-Federal party
contributions described.
Currently, the Coast Guard is considering Sea Machines Robotics for
participation in this CRADA. This consideration is based on the fact
that Sea Machines has demonstrated its technical ability for autonomous
USVs and the USCG RDC currently has one of their systems installed
aboard their 29 foot vessel. However, we do not wish to exclude other
viable participants from this or future similar CRADAs.
This is a technology assessment effort. The goal of the Coast Guard
for this CRADA is to determine what USV characteristics/parameters
would be recommended for the operational use of a Coast Guard platform
of this size, and also to gain a better understanding of how collision
avoidance of USVs should be validated and regulated in the future.
Special consideration will be given to small business firms/consortia,
and preference will be given to business units located in the U.S. This
notice is issued under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 552(a).
Daniel P. Keane,
Commanding Officer, U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center.
[FR Doc. 2021-12162 Filed 6-9-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P
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