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TIAX Awarded Contracts
Totaling $2 Million By Department Of Defense
Funding will continue development of novel medical devices and technologies
to help soldiers in the field
October 27, 2004 (Cambridge, MA) - TIAX,
a leading collaborative product and technology development firm, announced
today that it has been awarded three Phase II contracts by the U.S. Department
of Defense (DoD) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The
contracts, totaling more than $2 million, will enable TIAX to continue
its efforts in the development of three new technologies to assist soldiers
in the battlefield; an intraosseous infusion device, a medical blood pack,
and a wearable stress detection system.
"We are honored to continue our partnership with the Department
of Defense and delighted that our work on these projects will contribute
to the safety and wellbeing of our armed forces," said Kenan Sahin,
President of TIAX. "In addition to the role these technologies could
play in helping our military, they may one day be used by first responders,
emergency personnel, and critical staff to benefit the larger civilian
population."
The projects include:
- Reusable Intraosseous Infusion Device - Intraosseous
infusion (an infusion directly in the marrow cavity of the human bone)
is a rapid, reliable method of infusing critical resuscitation fluids
into the vascular system when traditional IV cannot be administered.
Under this $730,000 contract, TIAX will produce a prototype of a compact,
portable device that enables quick vascular access through the sternum
for soldiers wounded in battle situations. TIAX's design includes carriage
of multiple needles so the system can be used several times and a driver/depth
control system that simplifies usage in combat situations. The device
may eventually be commercialized for use by emergency medical personnel
in hospital trauma units.
- Medic Blood Pack - Under this approximately $655,000
contract, TIAX will finalize the design and develop a production-ready
prototype for a lightweight mobile storage container that can transport
blood to the front lines. Currently, military casualties are sometimes
forced to wait as long as 12 hours before evacuation from the battle
field to a medical treatment facility where they can receive blood transfusions.
The ability to transfuse red blood cells in the field would dramatically
increase the wounded soldier's chance of survival. The TIAX concept
integrates a highly insulating design with phase-change materials. The
phase change materials preferentially absorb the heat that leaks into
the container before it can have any affect on the temperature of the
blood being stored. This approach allows for multiple packs of red blood
cells to be transported to the front lines by medics and maintained
at the required temperature of 1oC to 10oC for over 48 hours.
- SENSORS (System for Evaluating Neurological
Stress with Objective & Remote Sensors)
- In Phase II of this project, valued at approximately $730,000,
TIAX will design a prototype system to detect the workload, cognitive
state, and stress levels endured by soldiers in combat environments.
The current TIAX SENSORS system concept takes the form of a flexible
under-helmet skullcap that uses biomedical sensors to monitor multiple
physiological parameters including muscle tension, brain waves, eye
movements, perspiration, and cardiac/respiratory function. On-body hardware
and custom signal-processing algorithms created for this project will
combine and broadcast data for remote evaluation of the cognitive state,
predictability of performance, and decision-making skills of a soldier
in battle. The SENSORS system also has a range of potential non-military
applications such as emergency medical services, public safety, commercial
aviation, long-haul trucking, and lie detection.
Since 2002, TIAX has been awarded 15 Phase I contracts and 8 Phase II
contracts through the SBIR program. The SBIR program was established in
1982 to provide increased opportunities for small businesses to meet federal
research and development needs, increase employment, foster and encourage
participation in technological innovation by socially and economically
disadvantaged persons, and increase private-sector commercialization of
innovations derived from federal research and development.
About TIAX LLC
TIAX LLC (pronounced Tie-ax) is a leading collaborative product and technology
development firm that accelerates innovation to help its clients create
an impact in the market-and in people's lives. We integrate business,
industry, and hands-on technology expertise to transform ideas into products
and problems into solutions. Formed out of Arthur D. Little's Technology
& Innovation business, TIAX (www.tiaxllc.com)
builds on more than a century of breakthrough innovation and client success
using collaborative R&D. TIAX was selected as a Technology Pioneer 2003
by the World Economic Forum and is ISO 9001 certified with more than 50
research and development laboratories.
For more information contact:
Twig Mowatt
TIAX LLC
(617) 498-7366
mowatt.twig@tiaxllc.com
Carl Foster
(617) 443-9933 x356
cfoster@rasky.com
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