Blast dosimeter for monitoring and documenting Blast exposure for Breacher and route clearance personnel Navy SBIR FY2012.3 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2012.3 Topic No.: N123-152 Topic Title: Blast dosimeter for monitoring and documenting Blast exposure for Breacher and route clearance personnel Proposal No.: N123-152-0061 Firm: McQ Inc. 1551 Forbes St. Fredericksburg, Virginia 22405-1603 Contact: Mark Winston Phone: (540) 373-2374 Web Site: www.mcqinc.com Abstract: Exposure to explosive blasts is a constant concern for the modern warfighter. Such blasts can originate from gre-nades, mortars, bombs, IEDs, and so on. Furthermore, exposure can occur in both combat and training situations. Since explosive blasts can cause internal injuries that may not show symptoms for days or even months, a device capable of measuring blast exposure would provide numerous medical benefits. Such a blast dosimeter would allow medical personnel to determine the likelihood of internal injury and thus be better able to diagnose and treat those exposed to blasts. Furthermore, the ability to record blast event data would provide valuable information on what happens during a blast so that future medical treatment procedures and safety devices can be improved. The proposed blast dosimeter features accurate blast wave measurement, low false alarm rate, long battery life, and a price point that will allow dosimeters to be distributed to a large number of warfighters for a reasonable cost. Benefits: The proposed blast dosimeter will have several benefits. First, it will allow medical personnel to make a faster, more accurate evaluation of a warfighter's exposure to potentially harmful blast pressure waves. This will in turn improve medical diagnosis and treatment, leading to fewer long lasting injuries. Next, the proposed dosimeter records data about a blast event pressure wave that can later be retrieved for analysis. This capability will help researchers better understand the effects of blast pressure waves on warfighters so that medical diagnosis and treatment procedures can be improved and better safety equipment can be developed. Finally, the proposed dosimeter would have applications in the commercial sector for those working with explosive devices to ensure that workers are not exposed to excessive blast energy over time. The dosimeter could also be adapted to act as an impact dosimeter for sports such as football, allowing coaches and medical staff to better evaluate risk of long term injury in athletes. Return