Nichols Martin
An Ohio-based startup company of Aptima will further develop technology the Air Force Research Laboratory designed to monitor the safety of aircraft maintainers who work in tight spaces.
AFRL said Friday it transitioned the Confined Space Monitoring System prototype to Sentinel Occupational Safety for final development, demonstration and potential commercialization under the Small Business Innovation Research program.
“By going the small-business route, we ensured that the technology would be developed with the goal of marketing it for the benefit of both the military and commercial sectors,†said James Christensen, product line lead for AFRL’s 711th Human Performance Wing.
The AF Sustainment Center enlisted the military wing to redesign and mature an initial prototype from Lockheed Martin because the company’s proposed system for confined space maintenance required personnel to wear bulky, movement-limiting equipment, according to the lab.
AFRL and Sentinel plan to demonstrate the new system to maintenance personnel from Robins AF Base through a virtual event.
