A Low-Cost, Modular Blast Acquisition Test System

This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I effort aims at the feasibility of developing a low-cost, modular human surrogate including a sensory system and organ models with integrated pressure sensors.  The proposed system will be utilized for evaluating personal protective equipment (PPE).  Current human surrogates are either costly or do not provide adequate pressure measurements. The proposed blast acquisition test system will include Advanced Materials and Devices’ (AMAD) OmniBlast sensors modified for integration into an anatomically correct surrogate.  The torso with head, brain, neck, lungs, and neurosensory organs will be 3D printed or molded.  Trade studies will be performed on materials selection, number of sensors, and sensor placement.  In the Phase I effort, feasibility will be demonstrated by testing and evaluating the proposed surrogate under blast loading conditions from 5 to 25 psi, using AMAD’s blast chamber.  The low-fidelity anatomically correct prototype of a sensor-integrated surrogate along with the blast test data will be delivered.  In the Phase II effort, the prototypes will be improved for modularity and will be fabricated with biofidelic materials against biological biomechanical models.  In addition, software will be released for data analysis, and a roadmap for the Phase III effort will be developed.