The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday issued a patent to Justine Yu and Tanner Wood, inventors of the new “Modular Assembly Shelter Kits,” known as the MASh Kit in reference to the Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals portrayed in a famous novel, movie, and the television series M*A*S*H.

Contrasting with traditional construction using wood framing and masonry, the building kits do not require skilled labor or lengthy construction times. And unlike conventional hardened structures, there is no need for power tools or heavy equipment to assemble or erect these structures, according to the new U.S. Patent 10,612,233.

A single kit can be used for an individual shelter or multiple kits can be joined together to expand the footprint and accommodate more people.

The horizontal beams that frame the building come with slots that hold interior and exterior walls.

And because there are no bolts and fasteners, changing the layout is a snap.

Plus, furniture, like desks or bunk beds, can be clipped into the vertical members.

When the shelter is no longer needed, it can be repacked, relocated, and reused.

The best part? Extra components can be manufactured whenever and wherever they’re needed using the kit’s 3D printing designs.

“The on-site manufacture of standardized and modular construction components as disclosed herein can greatly decrease logistics, design and contracting time, resulting in increased efficiencies for military and disaster relief operations, the new patent states.

“These technologies, techniques, and processes enable highly mobile deployed military or humanitarian responders to have the ability to quickly adapt to all possible shelter requirements and environments. The kit embodiments disclosed herein are quickly deployable, and can provide hardened structures, thus providing the advantages of quick deployment such as tents, while also providing the advantages of rigidity and strength comparable to a conventional stick-built structure.”

Yu, an architect, and Wood, an engineering technician, both work at the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), a federal research facility run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Champaign, Illinois.

Their patent comes as ERDC is helping the Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA combat the coronavirus pandemic by “building alternative care facilities to support the surge in care requirements resulting from the outbreak,” according to an ERDC news release.

Tech Transfer Business Opportunity

Christie Bell, senior technology manager at TechLink, believes the MASh Kit is a great example of ERDC solving real-world problems and represents a business opportunity for innovative companies who want to manufacture and sell the kits.

Bell, an expert in helping private businesses take advantage of Army technology transfer opportunities, said companies should review the technology if it aligns with their business and then acquire the intellectual property via a license agreement so that they can take the MASh Kit to market.

“I can think of more than a few customers who would be interested,” Bell said. “Like state and local governments that want to expand hospital facilities, but it’s also a kit you could use to make garden sheds or storage containers. It’s very adaptable.”

Contact Christie Bell at [email protected] or 406-924-8440.

Researchers at the Air Force Research Laboratory have built software that allows a single operator to efficiently and effectively control multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (known as UAVs or drones).

The Vigilant Spirit Ground Control Station software has been available to businesses through an Information Transfer Agreement. The Air Force recently told TechLink that Vigilant Spirit would soon be available for licensing, separate from an ITA, which would allow for redistribution to a company’s customers.

In this episode of the High Speed, Low Drag podcast, TechLink’s Brian Metzger, senior technology manager, discusses the business opportunity that Vigilant Spirit affords to businesses and entrepreneurs. (Hit the play button at the bottom of the screen.)

TechLink is the Department of Defense’s national partnership intermediary for technology transfer. Since 1999, it has facilitated hundreds of license agreements, transferring over 1,000 inventions from defense laboratories to businesses who turn them into new products or services.

Interested parties can contact Metzger by email at [email protected] for advice in acquiring the Vigilant Spirit software and partnering with the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Researchers at the Air Force Research Laboratory have built software that allows a single operator to efficiently and effectively control multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (known as UAVs or drones).

The Vigilant Spirit Ground Control Station software has been available to businesses through an Information Transfer Agreement. The Air Force recently told TechLink that Vigilant Spirit would soon be available for licensing, separate from an ITA, which would allow for redistribution to a company’s customers.

In this episode of the High Speed, Low Drag podcast, TechLink’s Brian Metzger, senior technology manager, discusses the business opportunity that Vigilant Spirit affords to businesses and entrepreneurs. (Hit the play button at the bottom of the screen.)

TechLink is the Department of Defense’s national partnership intermediary for technology transfer. Since 1999, it has facilitated hundreds of license agreements, transferring over 1,000 inventions from defense laboratories to businesses who turn them into new products or services.

Interested parties can contact Metzger by email at [email protected] for advice in acquiring the Vigilant Spirit software and partnering with the Air Force Research Laboratory.

The Optical Sciences Division at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has developed a new imaging method for LiDAR, allowing it to see through forest canopies and camouflage netting.

LiDAR is an exciting branch of photonics that offers imaging capabilities in situations where cameras fail, like operations in pitch black and fog. And LiDAR is getting smaller and less expensive, with growing applications in security, autonomous cars, delivery drones, aerial inspections, and 3-D mapping.

In this episode of High Speed, Low Drag, Navy scientist Paul Lebow explains his team’s adaptation of optical phase conjugation to project a laser beam through a partial obscuration and then process it using gated digital holography.

NRL has patented several of Lebow’s inventions, making them available to qualified businesses for the development of new products and services.

* US Patent No. 9,664,781, Time-gated image reconstruction using phase conjugation

* US Patent Application No. 20160245902, Real-time processing and adaptable illumination LiDAR camera using a spatial light modulator

Through technology transfer agreements—that is, patent licenses and cooperative research and development agreements—U.S. businesses can leverage the Department of Defense’s investment in LiDAR into new products and services for military or civilian customers.

TechLink, the DoD’s national partnership intermediary for technology transfer, provides no-cost licensing assistance to businesses. Contact us now for more information on accessing thousands of available military inventions.

The Optical Sciences Division at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has developed a new imaging method for LiDAR, allowing it to see through forest canopies and camouflage netting.

LiDAR is an exciting branch of photonics that offers imaging capabilities in situations where cameras fail, like operations in pitch black and fog. And LiDAR is getting smaller and less expensive, with growing applications in security, autonomous cars, delivery drones, aerial inspections, and 3-D mapping.

In this episode of High Speed, Low Drag, Navy scientist Paul Lebow explains his team’s adaptation of optical phase conjugation to project a laser beam through a partial obscuration and then process it using gated digital holography.

NRL has patented several of Lebow’s inventions, making them available to qualified businesses for the development of new products and services.

* US Patent No. 9,664,781, Time-gated image reconstruction using phase conjugation

* US Patent Application No. 20160245902, Real-time processing and adaptable illumination LiDAR camera using a spatial light modulator

Through technology transfer agreements—that is, patent licenses and cooperative research and development agreements—U.S. businesses can leverage the Department of Defense’s investment in LiDAR into new products and services for military or civilian customers.

TechLink, the DoD’s national partnership intermediary for technology transfer, provides no-cost licensing assistance to businesses. Contact us now for more information on accessing thousands of available military inventions.

The Army wants its soldiers awake but operational requirements often mean the troops don’t get much sleep.

In this episode of the High Speed, Low Drag podcast, Troy Carter, Laci McDowell, and Quinton King, discuss the Army’s 2B-Alert mobile app, which can optimize a user’s caffeine intake, i.e., how much coffee they drink, to maximize alertness.

While developed to support the warfighter, the patent-pending technology is available to businesses for non-military product development through a license agreement.

TechLink, the Department of Defense’s national partner for technology transfer, is facilitating Army licenses for the 2B-Alert app to businesses.

Companies interested in developing the app should contact King for no-cost licensing assistance.

A team at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Indiana, has invented an ammunition dispensing backpack for belt-fed weapons that weighs in around nine pounds and can hold a 650 round-belt of NATO 7.62mm.

The best part, they built it using materials that cost an estimated $300, with basic manufacturing methods, which can reduce delivery times.

In many aspects, including cost and capacity, this backpack is superior to current products in the market, and its design is available to businesses who would commercialize it into a new product.

The Navy backpack utilizes an ammunition chute and a partition that divides the container, keeping the belt from twisting to ensure a smooth feed into the chute.

TechLink, the Department of Defense’s national partnership, is helping the Naval Surface Warfare Center find qualified companies to commercialize the invention.

In this episode of the High Speed, Low Drag podcast, Troy Carter, senior writer at TechLink, discusses the ammunition backpack and explains why it could be a new product.

Scientists at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory observed an unexpected result while polishing a newly engineered aluminum nano-powder: it began to produce hydrogen.

Hydrogen, the most plentiful element in the universe, has the potential to power fuel cells and provide energy to future soldiers. Fuel cells generate electricity quietly, efficiently and without pollution. One kilogram of the aluminum powder can produce 220 kilowatts of power in just three minutes.

TechLink, the Department of Defense’s national partnership, is helping the Army Research Laboratory find qualified companies to commercialize the discovery.

In this episode of the High Speed, Low Drag podcast, Dr. Brian Metzger, senior technology manager at TechLink, discusses the technology and explains how interested businesses should proceed.

Scientists at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory observed an unexpected result while polishing a newly engineered aluminum nano-powder: it began to produce hydrogen.

Hydrogen, the most plentiful element in the universe, has the potential to power fuel cells and provide energy to future soldiers. Fuel cells generate electricity quietly, efficiently and without pollution. One kilogram of the aluminum powder can produce 220 kilowatts of power in just three minutes.

TechLink, the Department of Defense’s national partnership, is helping the Army Research Laboratory find qualified companies to commercialize the discovery.

In this episode of the High Speed, Low Drag podcast, Dr. Brian Metzger, senior technology manager at TechLink, discusses the technology and explains how interested businesses should proceed.

The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Munitions Directorate in Florida has designed a steel formula with amazing properties.

Known as AF-96, the steel is inexpensive compared to traditional ultra-high-strength steel, e.g., Eglin steel, because it contains no tungsten or cobalt. AF-96 is also relatively easy to process and maintains a durable toughness even at -40 degrees Celsius.

The AF-96 formulation is patent pending and available to businesses that would develop commercial and civilian products from it.

The first step for businesses that want to develop AF-96 into a new product or service is to contact TechLink, the Department of Defense’s national partnership intermediary for technology transfer.

TechLink’s staff of experts guide businesses through patent license agreements with Department of Defense laboratories, facilitating the technology transfer process, which benefits the warfighter and the national economy.