Wanted: Stress sensors that harness the energy of soldiers who wear them

The U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command is looking for stress sensors powered by the soldiers who wear them.

The envisioned device would analyze a soldier’s breathing and brainwaves, and wirelessly transmit the data to a computer, according to a small business solicitation. The tool could help the Pentagon assess troop performance in combat situations.

“It is required that sensor will be battery-less, and derive electric energy from ambient sources or physiological signals,” the document reads.

One idea would be to extract energy created by a soldier as he moves by mounting generators on his shoe, knee, and backpack, the solicitation suggests. Another idea would be to use the very data being recorded as a source of energy: “respiratory effort and bioelectricity are always present energy sources that intrinsically carry rich physiological information,” the document notes.

This isn’t the first time the Pentagon has tried to create biosensors to monitor brain chemistry. DARPA has solicited research on ways to development commercial products that carry out real-time monitoring of brain chemistry. Such tools could also serve as biofeedback instruments, so soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder could monitor their responses to specific triggers and learn to control their anxiety.