Historicalarchived
Light-weight, Wearable, Real-time Detection and Classification of Multiple Chemical Hazards
Marine Corps / Navy
The product, dubbed "Chameleon", is a lightweight armband that provides an immediate visual indication of the presence of a chemical hazard. It provides real-time monitoring of up to ten hazardous chemicals, simultaneously. If the wearer sees more than one color within one of the cassette windows, he or she is being exposed to that specific toxic chemical. Each cassette detects a different chemical threat or family of threats. To develop and produce Chameleon, Morphix Technologies won SBIR Phase I and II awards, and attracted Phase III commercialization funding from Marine Corps Systems Command.
Applications
- Military and Commercial Significance:
- • Detection of exposure to or presence of chemical agents
- • Detection of exposure to or presence of toxic industrial chemicals
- According to its manufacturer, Chameleon is an improvement over the old military M8 and M9 chemical detection paper, which detects only liquids and does not stand up to harsh environments. It is also an improvement over the M256 kit, which is designed to detect chemical agents in vapor form, and requires more significant user intervention. The M8, M9, and M256 detect nerve, blood, and blister agents, but the Chameleon detects a broad range of toxic industrial chemicals (TICs), and is smaller, lighter, and easier to use than other TIC detectors. Refill cassettes are commercially available. Though the armband holds ten cassettes, the company has only developed and tested eight sensors. They seek funding to develop additional sensors, particularly sensors for the traditional and non-traditional chemical warfare agents. Marine Corps Systems Command has provided funding towards the development of an organophosphate sensor. The company has sold units to the NYPD, City of Chicago, and several small fire departments. Units are also in use with special forces units.
Provenance
- Original
- https://dodtechmatch.com/dod/successstories/view.aspx?id=60220
- Archived copy
- Wayback Machine snapshot
This record was recovered from a public web archive of dodtechmatch.com and is preserved for historical reference. It may be outdated. Not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Contact details from the original listing have been withheld.