Hoboken - SBIR XL

SBIR · Phase: BOTH · Topic DPA26BZ05-DV018 · Solicitation 26.BZ

Modern underwater concrete construction has enabled the creation of large, durable maritime infrastructure, but current methods are slow, expensive, and environmentally intrusive, making them unsuitable for expeditionary or military operations. Traditional approaches rely on cast-in-place or precast elements, requiring extensive formwork, specialized equipment, and significant transportation of raw materials, which limits their applicability at greater depths and in austere environments. Recent advances in terrestrial 3D concrete printing have demonstrated rapid, flexible construction without formwork, but these systems are not yet adapted for underwater use due to challenges in materials, hardware, and environmental conditions. DARPA envisions a subsea harvest-to-print 3D construction system to address the critical limitations of current underwater construction methods. The future system will enable rapid, flexible, and environmentally conscious underwater 3D printing for expeditionary and commercial applications through development of state-of-the-art underwater construction equipment and by leveraging in situ seafloor sediments and seawater in concrete mixes. Building on the DARPA Trenton program’s demonstration of printable, low-binder concrete formulations using native sediments, this SBIR topic will develop and demonstrate fully submersible critical subsystems for a 3D concrete construction system in near-shore or medium depth environments. Key innovations for the integrated harvest-to-print system include sediment harvesting and processing, adaptive concrete formulation, marinized printing hardware, and real-time quality control.The Phase II program will fund the development and near-shore demonstration of critical subsystems, with each performer focusing on one or more of the following tracks. The goal is to demonstrate critical subsystems and lay the foundation for future development of a fully autonomous, deepwater-capable system.Program Constants (apply to all tracks):• Proposed subsystems must be prototypable within $3M budgets per performer• Solutions must be interoperable for future integration• Marinization experience is favorable• Proposed solutions must use seawater in concrete formulations• Seafloor sediments include: o Coarse, low water absorption sediments such as sand (<100µm)o Fine, high-water absorption sediments such as clay (<50µm)Track 1: Marinized Underwater 3D Concrete Printer for Near-Shore Demonstration• Design, build, and demonstrate a fully submersible 3D concrete printer for operation at shallow depths (> 5 meters) near-shore up to medium depth (< 100 meters).• Architectures for this prototype can include topside-controlled material supply (sediment, binder, water) via hoses/cables or limited onboard storage, with the awareness that future iterations will move toward fully underwater harvest-to-print systems.• Demonstrate printing of a self-supporting structure (e.g., arch, wall, slab, or pile).• Include basic underwater deployment/retrieval and remote operation.Track 2: Sediment Transportation Subsystem• Develop a modular, marinized concrete transportation system that can effectively “pump” materials through a subsea harvest-to-print system, including through the 3D printer. Materials needing transport include: o Unprocessed, wet seafloor sedimentso Processed, dry seafloor sedimentso Low binder (= 20%) concrete mixes• Develop a sediment dewatering capability that can be incorporated in-line along the material transportation path.• Demonstrate compatibility with a range of sediment types and ability to deliver a consistent, pumpable mix.• Design for future automation; manual/semiautomatic operation is acceptable for Phase II.Track 3: In-Line Mixing and Quality Control at the Nozzle• Develop an in-line, marinized, multi-part mixing system (at or near the nozzle) capable of handling variable seafloor sediment/binder ratios and ensuring homogeneous mix.• The system should be capable of handling b…

SBIR/STTR 은 미국 중소기업만 지원할 수 있습니다(Small Business Act 법정 요건). • 계열사를 포함해 상시 종업원 500명 이하 • 미국 시민 또는 영주권자 1인 이상이 50%를 초과해 직접 소유·지배 • 미국 내 사업장을 두고 주로 미국 내에서 사업을 영위할 것 • 수행책임자(PI)의 주된 근무처가 신청 기업일 것 출처: https://www.sbir.gov/faq/eligibility-requirements

Primary country

🇺🇸 United States

Also eligible

None

Foreign companies

No

Local entity

Required

Location condition

미국 내 사업장을 두고 미국 시민·영주권자가 50%를 초과해 소유한 중소기업만 신청할 수 있습니다(법정 요건).

Document requirements were not captured (needs verification). Check the official announcement.

Application process not captured.

Evaluation process not captured.

Process steps were not captured.

Generated by local:rules-v1 · 3h ago

The announcement does not say what has to be submitted, so the disclosure exposure cannot be judged. the scope of the material requested is not stated. The awarding body is U.S. Department of War — DARPA. 8 fields could not be read and must be checked in the announcement and the grant agreement.

This assessment is derived from the stored announcement, document and contract fields. Anything the source does not state is marked "needs verification" — it never asserts that your idea will be taken. Generated by local:rules-v1 · 3h ago

Official URL

https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/topics-app/

Application URL

https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/topics-app/

Last fetched

2026.08.20

Human review

Not reviewed — check the official announcement

First seen

2026.08.20

Data status

Auto-collected, not reviewed

AI enrichment

local:rules-v1 · 3h ago