The Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) plans to hold a 'Fog and Edge Computing' meeting later this year with sector vendors.

AFRL said that the meeting is primarily to understand the state of the Edge, but added that there is "potential for companies to be selected for pilot projects or experimentation if their technology match [the Department of Defense (DOD)'s] needs."

In a 'Fog Edge Computing Needs Statement,' AFRL said that it expected to hold the virtual meeting this Fall, with companies given until August 2nd to respond. Those selected will give short technical presentations to government representatives.

"The DoD needs transformational computing technologies to increase on-board data analytics, limit communications latency and cost, increase human situational awareness and enable adaptive decisions, and provide energy efficient computing and architectures for data collection and processing. Additionally, the DoD needs collaborative computing and cutting-edge networking for fusion of multi-spatial, multi-signal, and multi-reports," the AFRL said.

In particular, the laboratory is looking for technologies involved with Human Computer Interfaces (HCI) - that is, the interaction between humans and computers.

AFRL is looking for solutions to "sense and adapt to user’s cognitive, physiological & physical state, tasks & goals, local physical environment, [and] social & team interactions and preferences."

It also seeks presentations on energy efficient computing and architectures for data collection/processing, and "collaborative computing, fusion, and networking (CCFN), with a focus on AI/ML applications at the Edge.