The Department of Defense (DOD) is seeking proposals for an Autonomous Bridging Kit as part of its SBIR program. The objective of this project is to develop a solution that allows the Army to autonomously maneuver and connect temporary, mobile bridging platforms for wet gap (water) crossing operations. The desired solution should enable autonomous movement and navigation of fully loaded wet gap bridging platforms and their bays from origin to destination while detecting and avoiding obstacles in the water. The goal is to reduce the assembly time of the bridging platforms and the number of Soldiers required to perform wet gap crossing operations. The project will be conducted in two phases. In Phase I, a preliminary autonomous kit design will be developed. In Phase II, the design will be refined and a prototype of the autonomous kit will be created. The total funding for Phase II awards is $1,900,000 for a 12-month period of performance. The ultimate goal of Phase III is to transition the technology to a US Army lab or a Program Executive Office for further development or potential acquisition pathways. The solicitation is open until March 31, 2025. For more information, visit the DOD SBIR website.