Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 161 / Tuesday, August 24, 2021 / Notices 47297 

1National Security Commission on Artificial 

Intelligence, Final Report, https://www.nscai.gov/ 

wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Full-Report-Digital1.pdf. 

2Plan for Federal Engagement in Developing AI 

Technical Standards and Related Tools, https://

www.nist.gov/system/files/documents/2019/08/10/ 

ai_standards_fedengagement_plan_9aug2019.pdf. 

3H. Rept. 116–455—COMMERCE, JUSTICE, 

SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES 

APPROPRIATIONS BILL, 2021, CRPT– 

116hrpt455.pdf (congress.gov), and Section 5301 of 

the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 

2020 (Pub. L. 116–283), https://www.congress.gov/ 

116/bills/hr6395/BILLS-116hr6395enr.pdf. 

(if any), and cite ‘‘AI Risk Management 

Framework’’ in all correspondence. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

questions about this RFI contact: Mark 

Przybocki (mark.przybocki@nist.gov), 

U.S. National Institute of Standards and 

Technology, MS 20899, 100 Bureau 

Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, 

telephone (301) 975–3347, email 

AIframework@nist.gov. 

Direct media inquiries to NIST’s 

Office of Public Affairs at (301) 975– 

2762. 

Users of telecommunication devices 

for the deaf, or a text telephone, may 

call the Federal Relay Service, toll free 

at 1–800–877–8339. 

Accessible Format: On request to the 

contact person listed above, NIST will 

make the RFI available in alternate 

formats, such as Braille or large print, 

upon request by persons with 

disabilities. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

NIST is extending the comment 

period announced in the July 29, 2021 

RFI (86 FR 40810) through September 

15, 2021. The agency’s work on an AI 

RMF is consistent with 

recommendations by the National 

Security Commission on Artificial 

Intelligence 1 and the Plan for Federal 

Engagement in Developing AI Technical 

Standards and Related Tools.2

Congress has directed NIST to 

collaborate with the private and public 

sectors to develop a voluntary AI RMF.3

The Framework is intended to help 

designers, developers, users and 

evaluators of AI systems better manage 

risks across the AI lifecycle. 

Authority: 15 U.S.C. 272(b), (c), & (e); 

15 U.S.C. 278g–3. 

Alicia Chambers, 

NIST Executive Secretariat. 

[FR Doc. 2021–18108 Filed 8–23–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

Review and Approval; Comment 

Request. iEdison System. 

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards 

and Technology (NIST), Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of information collection, 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Commerce, in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(PRA), invites the general public and 

other Federal agencies to comment on 

proposed, and continuing information 

collections, which helps us assess the 

impact of our information collection 

requirements and minimize the public’s 

reporting burden. The purpose of this 

notice is to allow for 60 days of public 

comment preceding submission of the 

collection to OMB. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, 

comments regarding this proposed 

information collection must be received 

on or before October 25, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments by 

mail to Elizabeth Reinhart, Management 

Analyst, National Institute of Standards 

and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, 

Gaithersburg, MD 20899, 

elizabeth.reinhart@nist.gov, or 

PRAcomments@doc.gov. Please 

reference OMB Control Number 0693- 

xxxx in the subject line of your 

comments. Do not submit Confidential 

Business Information or otherwise 

sensitive or protected information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

specific questions related to collection 

activities should be directed to Bethany 

Loftin, Interagency and iEdison 

Specialist, National Institute of 

Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau 

Drive Gaithersburg MD 20899, 301–975– 

0496, bethany.loftin@nist.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The Bayh-Dole Act (35 U.S.C. 18) and 

its implementing regulations (37 CFR 

401) allow for recipients of federal 

research funding (Contractors) to retain 

ownership of inventions developed 

under federal funding agreements. In 

exchange, the government retains 

certain rights to the invention, including 

a world-wide right to use by or on 

behalf of the U.S. government. The law 

also requires the Contractor to obtain 

permission for certain actions and fulfill 

reporting requirements including: 

a. Initial reporting of invention. 

b. Decision to retain title to invention. 

c. Filing of patent protection. 

d. Evidence of government support 

clause within patents. 

e. Submission of a license confirming 

the government’s rights. 

f. Notice if the Contractor is going to 

discontinue the pursuit or continuance 

of patent protection. 

g. Information related to the 

development and utilization of 

invention. 

h. Permission to assign to a third 

party; and 

i. Permission to waive domestic 

manufacturing requirements. 

This information is used for a variety 

of reasons. It allows the government to 

identify technologies to which the 

government has rights to use without 

additional payment or licensing. This 

acts as a time and cost-saving 

mechanism to avoid unnecessary 

negotiating and payment. It also 

provides data for calculation of return 

on investment (ROI) from federal 

funding and identifies successful 

research programs. Thirdly, it allows the 

government the opportunity to timely 

protect inventions which the Contractor 

declines title or discontinues patent 

protection. Historically, the National 

Institutes of Health (NIH) has collected 

this information via their on-line portal, 

iEdison; however, the responsibility for 

this data collection will be taken over by 

NIST. Agencies that do not register with 

iEdison are required to collect this 

information independently. 

II. Method of Collection 

Information will be electronically 

collected through the online system 

iEdison. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0693–XXXX. 

Form Number(s): None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission, 

new information collection. 

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations; Not-for-profit 

institutions; State, Local, or Tribal 

government. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

3063. 

Estimated Time per Response: 

Invention Records: 6 hours. 

Patent Records: 3.5 hours. 

Utilization Records 4.5 hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 

Invention Records: 18,378 hours. 

Patent Records: 10,720 hours. 

Utilization Records: 13,783 hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $0. 


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47298 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 161 / Tuesday, August 24, 2021 / Notices 

Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. 

Legal Authority: The Bayh-Dole Act 

(35 U.S.C. 18) and its implementing 

regulations (37 CFR 401). 

IV. Request for Comments 

We are soliciting public comments to 

permit the Department/Bureau to: (a) 

Evaluate whether the proposed 

information collection is necessary for 

the proper functions of the Department, 

including whether the information will 

have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the 

accuracy of our estimate of the time and 

cost burden for this proposed collection, 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (c) 

Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, 

utility, and clarity of the information to 

be collected; and (d) Minimize the 

reporting burden on those who are to 

respond, including the use of automated 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. 

Comments that you submit in 

response to this notice are a matter of 

public record. We will include or 

summarize each comment in our request 

to OMB to approve this ICR. Before 

including your address, phone number, 

email address, or other personal 

identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you may ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Sheleen Dumas, 

Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of 

the Chief Information Officer, Commerce 

Department. 

[FR Doc. 2021–18196 Filed 8–23–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology 

Robot Workcell Degradation 

Technology Exploration With the 

Manufacturing Extension Partnership 

National Network Consortium 

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards 

and Technology, Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of research consortium. 

SUMMARY: The National Institute of 

Standards and Technology (NIST), an 

agency of the United States Department 

of Commerce, in support of efforts to 

verify and validate robot workcell 

health monitoring methods for use in 

the manufacturing industry, is 

establishing the Robot Workcell 

Degradation Technology Exploration 

with the Manufacturing Extension 

Partnership National Network 

Consortium (‘‘Consortium’’). In addition 

to supporting verification and validation 

of robot workcell health monitoring 

methods, the consortium intends to 

provide NIST with the opportunity to 

transfer technology to the U.S. 

manufacturing sector through the 

Manufacturing Extension Partnership 

(MEP) National NetworkTM. 

DATES: The Consortium’s activities will 

commence on July 23rd, 2021 

(‘‘Commencement Date’’). NIST will 

accept letters of interest from MEP 

Center teams to participate in this 

Consortium from prospective 

participants until December 1, 2023. 

ADDRESSES: Completed letters of interest 

or requests for additional information 

about the Consortium can be directed 

via electronic mail to RobotCRADA@

nist.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

J’aime Maynard, CRADA Administrator, 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology’s Technology Partnerships 

Office, by mail to 100 Bureau Drive, 

Mail Stop 2200, Gaithersburg, Maryland 

20899, by electronic mail to 

Jaime.maynard@nist.gov, or by 

telephone at (301) 975–8408. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Consortium efforts are expected to yield 

practical lessons learned and guidance 

on the deployment and usage of the 

NIST-developed test methodology and 

companion sensor along with producing 

quantitative data from the test method 

and the host robot workcells. This will 

enhance NIST’s research verifying and 

validating methods to assess robot 

workcell health degradation in addition 

to accelerating technology transfer into 

the manufacturing industry. 

NIST’s Engineering Laboratory has 

developed a test method—Identification 

and Isolation of Robot Workcell 

Degradation—that has the potential to 

efficiently assess the change in accuracy 

within a robot workcell, including those 

used in manufacturing operations. The 

test method is paired with the NISTdeveloped Position Verification Sensor 

(PVS—patent pending) to yield pass/fail 

output when the test method is 

executed with the PVS in a robot 

workcell. The test method and PVS are 

designed such that the change in 

accuracy of the key insertion can be 

measured to desired tolerances. This 

capability addresses the challenge that it 

can be costly to determine if the health 

of a robot workcell has degraded before 

quality and/or productivity are 

impacted. The test method and sensor 

require verification and validation from 

industrial partners. The Manufacturing 

Extension Partnership (MEP) National 

NetworkTM, a public-private partnership 

with Centers in every U.S. state and 

Puerto Rico dedicated to serving small 

and medium-sized manufacturers, is 

uniquely positioned to enable this 

activity. 

Each pilot study will be performed at 

a MEP Center-selected manufacturing 

facility. Proof of concept studies, prior 

to individual pilot studies, may be 

conducted at an MEP Center or at a 

chosen technology integrator/builder 

facility. 

This CRADA Consortium involves the 

use of U.S. Government IP. NIST 

Invention entitled ‘‘POSITION 

VERIFICATION SENSOR WITH 

DISCRETE OUTPUT’’, US Patent 

Application 16/572,847, filed on 

September 17, 2019, will be the IP that 

is used in this collaboration. 

This Consortium has specific 

objectives including: 

(1) Pilot the test method and PVS in 

manufacturing facilities through guided 

deployments by state-based MEP Center 

teams to obtain practical feedback, 

including quantitative performance 

data, lessons learned, and deployment 

guidance, regarding the viability of the 

test method and sensor in robot 

workcells; 

(2) During each pilot study, obtain 

information regarding the 

manufacturing operations, test method, 

and sensor performance including (a) 

data from the test method and sensor 

during its usage in a robot workcell 

health testing, (b) component-level data 

from the robot(s) that are interacting 

with the sensor, (c) process-level data 

captured from the overall workcell(s) 

that include the test method/sensor, (d) 

operational configuration information of 

the robot workcell including use case 

variants (e.g., robot picks up boxes 

weighing 5 kg and 10 kg as opposed to 

picking up boxes of the same weight), 

(e) maintenance logs and activities that 

document faults and failures of the 

workcell along with specific 

maintenance that is performed, and (f) 

feedback from manufacturing personnel 

(e.g., operators, maintenance personnel, 

plant managers, etc.); 

(3) Enable MEP Center teams to 

explore the development of a service of 

the NIST test method and/or the 

commercialization of the new sensor 

technology to ultimately promote 

transfer to the manufacturing industry; 

and 

(4) Enable MEP Center teams to 

promote a capability for manufacturers/ 


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