WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – Two new licensing agreements are helping a New Jersey company grow its product line while providing needed technology to the warfighter.
Newcomer Arms, LLC recently licensed two technologies from the Air Force Research Laboratory 711th Human Performance Wing with the intent to manufacture and commercialize the products. Both technologies have the potential to be used by warfighters during missions.
“The simplicity of the systems and the enormous benefit they will provide were key factors in choosing to license these patents,” said Darryl Nowak, chairman of the company.
The Air Force has been working with businesses across the country to license technologies that can be manufactured and commercialized.
Commercialization – the practice of spinning technology out of a federal laboratory and into the commercial mainstream – has several upsides. It can leverage the private sector to make big strides in technology the Department of Defense might need in the future, promote economic growth across the country and provide a revenue stream to the Air Force.
“Through technology transfer mechanisms like patent licensing agreements, the Air Force is achieving its objective of developing new technology to support the U.S. defense mission,” said John Schutte, a technology transfer specialist with AFRL/711HPW.
Newcomer developed one of the licensed technologies called the Ruck Dock into a product which can benefit anyone who wears heavy backpacks including deployed warfighters, firefighters, rangers, and hikers. The system allows the user to evenly distribute the weight of a load by transferring it from the shoulders and spine to the legs, which are better able to carry weight with less fatigue and injury to the user. At the same time, the Ruck Dock enables rapid mounting and demounting of equipment.
“The Ruck Dock improves the speed in which a backpack or rucksack is donned and doffed. Rucksacks and tactical vests that both incorporate load-bearing belts can be coupled together into a single device,” said Nowak. “It works with the Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment, also known as the MOLLE.”
Newcomer also licensed a technology that allows a user to affix electronic devices to an arm or leg. Developed into a product referred to as a Mobile Device Mount, the device is a wrist- or arm-mount cuff assembly that enables ready, hands-free access to communication devices and other tools.
The cuff uses a multi-layer blend of soft and rigid components that conform to the muscle and structure of the forearm or leg. The tensioning system achieves a customizable, non-slip fit that can be rapidly adjusted with one hand.
“This product can be adapted to accommodate mapping, communication, and music devices, as well as a rail system for attaching a flashlight and other tools,” said Nowak.
The company is working with Bluewater Defense to manufacture the products and will be taking prototypes to Special Operations Forces Industry Conference in Tampa, Florida this year. Different models of the products will be made commercially available.
“We will offer a few models that can hold various components,” said Nowak. “The slide-in model will have a protective case and the MOLLE model will be able to adapt to anything from extra magazines to bulkier hand-held devices.”
For more information on licensing Air Force technologies, please call the Air Force Technology Transfer Program Office at 937-904-9830 or af.techtransfer@us.af.mil.