Contracts Management Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Federal Building, Room 901, 7550 Wisconsin Avenue, MSC 9190, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-9190

A -- DEVELOPMENT OF VIRTUAL REALITY HEADGEAR/GOGGLES AND GLOVES FOR R USE IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF COGNITIVE AND MOTOR TASKS POC Contact Patricia Denney, 301/496-1813/Contracting Officer, Kirkland Davis, 301/496-1813 The NINDS, NIH is seeking to identify sources who have design and d operation experience and who are capable of providing a Virtual Reality (VR)/Virtual environment system including headgear, gloves, and software. Such a system would be used for cognitive neuroscience research within the NINDS's intramural research program. More specifically, such a system would be used to administer cognitive and motor tasks of various kinds (headgear) and to allow for manual responses to stimulus presentation (gloves ). The headgear and gloves would be used in conjunction with standard experimental cognitive and visuomotor tasks and also be used during neuroimaging experiments for the purposes of functional stimulation and response execution. The VR system would consist of four components: 1. Gloves designed with flexible sensors which can accurately and reliably measure the position and movement of the fingers and wrist. Additional features of the glove would include the ability to simulate resistance at object bo rders during grasp of a simulated object in the VR environment. The glove will also be used to determine response times, posture, and movement dynamics of the fingers and hand. Touch-sensitive response boards will also be necessary so that a simple touch of a finger anywhere on the board will record the contact and response times-complementing the basic functions of the glove in space. 2. Headgear which can display high resolution static or dynamic images. This device (goggles or head-mounted) would be used to display experimental stimuli with the option of aural accompaniment. 3. Dedicated hardware to support the gloves and headgear. PC/MAC/SUN/Silicon Graphics workstations would be necessary and specially configured to support the presentation and response acquisition software. 4. Software for the Virtual Reality (VR) system must be compatible with the hardware. This VR software should be able to display both static (e.g., a series of single images, e.g., objects) and dynamic (e.g., video-like im ages-e.g., virtual environments such as a village or apartment) interactive stimuli. The VR software user interface must be designed to be user-friendly and icon based (similar to a MAC or Windows interface). A key design requirement is that the materials used for the gloves and headgear must be suitable for use with functional magnetic resonance imaging (in addition to use with PET). Both glove and headgear will be required, furthermore, to be adapted for additional recording devices (e.g., EMG for the cyberglove; eye movement sensor for the headgear/goggles). Respondents should supply the following information: (1) Organization Experience: provide examples of tasks performed within the last five years which demonstrate design and operational experience for the development and production of VR systems including hardwear, gear, and software; (2) Provide an assessment of the facilities, equipment and personnel needed to meet the operational requirements of the application and what adaptations would be necessary to accomplish the production of the described VR system; (3) Provide an assessment of the technological availability to meet these operational requirements. Respondents may include other specific and pertinent information as pertains to this particular area of interest. Interested organizations should submit a capability statement of approximately ten (10) pages addressing the information requested above and of your ability to perform all aspects of the effort described herein. This announcem ent is not a Request for Proposals (RFP) nor an announcement that an RFP is available. This synopsis, a market survey, is for information and planning purposes only, and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. Acknowledgment of receipt of responses will not be made and respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation of information submitted. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this synopsis or the government's use of such information as part of the evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement. This requirement is listed under Standard Industrial Classification SIC Code 8731, Size Standard 500 which is the maximum allowed for a concern including its affiliates, to be considered a small business. All Respondents are requested to indicate their current size status: Large Business, Small B usiness, Small Disadvantaged Business, Women-Owned Business, 8(a), or Historically Black College or University/Minority Institution (HBCU/MI) in their response. Submit two copies of your response within 20 days from the date of publication of this synopsis to: Patricia Denney, Contracts Management Branch, NINDS, National Institutes of Health, Federal Building, Room 901, 7550 Wisconsin Avenue, MSC 9190, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-9190. Technical questions regarding the above can be directed to Dr. Jordan G rafman at the following address: Cognitive Neuroscience Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Room 5S209, 10 Center Drive MSC 1440, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1440. E-Mail Address: jgr@box-j.nih.gov. Telephone number: (301) 496-0220. (0127)

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