CoasterChase

Background
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is seeking innovative proposals for the CoasterChase program, which aims to leverage a novel understanding of the enteric nervous system and emerging neuromodulation technologies. The goal is to develop a multimodal, ingestible sensing and stimulation platform that can monitor and modulate biomarkers of acute stress from within the small intestine. This initiative aligns with DARPA's mission to make pivotal early technology investments that create or prevent technological surprise.

Work Details
Proposals must focus on revolutionary advances in enteric neuromodulation and sensing, ingestible electronics, and modulation of the stress response. Key tasks include:
- Integration of a capsule platform with two stimulation modalities and one sensing modality, adhering to specific parameters (diameter < 1.3 cm, weight < 5 g).
- Demonstration of persistence for a minimum of 5 days in chronic animal preparations.
- Development of closed-loop control systems using sensing inputs to drive stimulation outputs.
- Deliverables include periodic progress reports, milestone reports detailing progress against metrics, data/plots/figures from testing, and other negotiated deliverables such as registered reports and publications.

Period of Performance
The contract will be performed over a specified period that includes annual program review meetings and at least one site visit by the DARPA Program Manager during the performance period.

Place of Performance
The primary location for annual program review meetings is Arlington, VA.