Student Teams Develop Innovative Prototypes for Defense Priorities
During the 2022-2023 academic year, the Capstone Marketplace (CM) matched multidisciplinary student teams from universities throughout the nation with U.S. military units, and the resulting projects, now complete, explored innovative ways to address real-world challenges. Developed by the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC) in 2013, the CM is an online tool that enables these collaborations and provides students with hands-on experience that helps nurture, expand, and train the next generation of systems engineering (SE) talent for future U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and defense industry needs.
Capstone Marketplace Manager Capt. (Ret.) William Shepherd (Stevens Institute of Technology) stated, “The Capstone Marketplace aims to introduce systems engineering and its benefits to undergraduates…and give students a sense of the business environment where they’ll be responsible to invent new technology solutions and capabilities.” Capt. Shepherd went on to note that the CM presents students with complex challenges that require them to form multidisciplinary teams to solve these problems.
Collecting Ideas and Developing Topics
In May 2022, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) provided core funding for the CM. Additional sponsorship was provided by the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s (OSD) Rapid Response Technology Office (RRTO) and U.S. Special Operations Command’s Science and Technology Directorate. CM activity began in the summer of 2022 when Capt. Shepherd and fellow Capstone Manager Michael DeLorme (Stevens) met with various operational DoD units and visited Special Operations personnel, units, and staff to capture ideas, problems, and technical needs not being pursued in formal R&D efforts. In each organization, inputs from junior personnel often proved the most innovative.
Capstone Managers worked with government customers to develop more than 20 suitable Research Topics that included biometrics, sensors, electronics, RF systems, aeronautics, image recognition, hydrodynamics, computer coding, and mechanical and electronic fabrication. These Research topics were then published on the Capstone Marketplace website as targets for undergraduate and graduate student design projects in a competitive, nation-wide forum.
University faculty members who wanted to work on the Capstone topics submitted proposals that were reviewed by Capstone Managers and government sponsors. Subcontracts were offered to 8 universities to support 17 student teams doing design work. Each team included faculty advisors and Subject Matter Experts (SME) who served as “end user” customers for each project.
Working Together: Student Teams, Government Customers, and Capstone Managers
Teams and Capstone Managers met at the outset of the fall 2022 semester to start project work and coordinate student activities. During the academic year, Capstone Managers met frequently with students, provided insights on “best practices” from aerospace and defense industries, and mentored teams on SE principles. Student teams were required to track their project cost, schedule, and technical performance, and each presented design reviews to Capstone Managers and DoD customers on the development and testing of their hardware and software prototypes.
At the conclusion of the academic year, students made final presentations and demonstrations to government customers. In past years, some student teams outperformed traditional development organizations, providing government customers with fresh insights, novel approaches, and innovative solutions. Over the course of the Capstone program, several student prototypes have transitioned into operational end items, and a number of former students have accepted employment in government laboratories and system commands as a result of their Capstone work.
“The Capstone Marketplace is harvesting a lot of intellectual capital,” Capt. Shepherd said. “Some junior military personnel have great insights and good ideas that are not recognized by the typical research and development environment. [Similarly,] students apply ambition and energy to their projects, and will occasionally come out with exceptional performances that are the equal of what could be done in industry or government labs.”
As in years past years, this year’s final presentations highlighted that student teams actively engaged in the multidisciplinary approach toward problem solving that the CM aims to teach. Capt. Shepherd noted the example of a team that proposed using drones to create quick, real-time maps of specified landscapes, providing a low cost, easy-to-use capability suitable for civil and military purposes. In addition to tackling technical tasks such as building a drone, controlling the camera, and managing its imagery, the team’s testing area was located under the approach flight paths to a busy civilian airport. This required students to receive Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for their drone flights. It was a complex project with many aspects to be considered, according to Capt. Shepherd, who added that students learned to navigate the intersection of leading-edge technology, society, regulation, and law.
As a long-term goal, the CM seeks to engage a broader group of DoD military and civilian organizations. The tasking and resourcing needed to support more expansive Capstone programs and projects are currently being pursued.
Below is a listing of the 2022-2023 Capstone Marketplace research projects. More information on how to participate in this program is available on the Capstone Marketplace website.
| Customer | Research Topic | University Name |
| Special Operations Support Activity (SOFSA) | Air-transportable Lithium Batteries | University of South Alabama |
| Special Operations Support Activity (SOFSA) | Efficient Warehouse | George Mason University |
|
U.S. Navy |
Electronic Operations Manual for Submersible Maritime Platform
(“Everything Tablet”) |
George Mason University |
| U.S. Navy | 2022 NSWG 805
Onboard Human Performance Monitoring |
University of Texas at Austin |
| U.S. Navy | 2022 NSWG 801
Electronic Operations Manual for Submersible Maritime Platform (“Everything Tablet”) |
Michigan Technological University |
| U.S. Navy | 2022 NSWG 802
Computer-Based Electrical Simulator for Submersible Maritime Platform |
Michigan Technological University |
| U.S. Navy | NSWG 806 External Cargo Pods | U.S. Naval Academy |
| U.S. Navy | 2022 NSWG 807
Autopilot for Underwater Vehicle |
University of Dayton |
| Army Special Operations Command | 2022 USASOC 07
“Any Donor” Blood Transfusions |
University of Texas at Austin |
| Army Special Operations Command | 2022 USASOC 09
Covert Communications to Working Dogs |
University of Texas at Austin |
| Army Special Operations Command | 2022 USASOC 06
Automatic Intubation Device |
University of Texas at Austin |
| Army Special Operations Command | 2022 USASOC 03
Drone Video to Cell Tower |
Michigan Technological University |
| Army Special Operations Command | 2022 USASOC 05
Body Mounted Sensors |
Michigan Technological University |
| Army Special Operations Command | 2022 USASOC 08
Friendly Forces ID |
George Mason University |
| Army Special Operations Command | 2022 USASOC 08
Friendly Forces ID |
Stevens Institute of Technology |
| Army Special Operations Command | Compact Area Mapping/VTOL Fixed Wing Drone | University of Massachusetts Boston |
| Army Special Operations Command | Structures Digital Twin | University of Massachusetts Boston |