PRESS RELEASE – MākuSafe Selected by Department of the Air Force AFWERX Program to Provide Wearable Safety Technology Through SBIR Contract
January 8, 2024
For Immediate Release:
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – MākuSafe, Corp. announces it has been selected by AFWERX for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract in the amount of $74,598.00 focused on use of MākuSafe’s wearable safety and connected worker technology to address the most pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF).
The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018 which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded, and now on December 15, 2023, MākuSafe, Corp. will start its journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America.
MākuSafe is an award-winning connected worker wearable technology and safety data analytics solution deployed across the globe. This technology is aimed at improving worker health, safety, and productivity by reducing injuries and mitigating workplace hazards and risk exposures.
“MākuSafe is proud to work with our armed forces and support the efforts of our servicemen and women. Our mission is aimed at reducing workplace injuries and the costs associated with them, while enhancing productivity, which is aligned with DAF Operational Imperatives in that we can contribute to overall readiness to deploy and fight.”, said Gabriel Glynn, MākuSafe CEO & Co-Founder.
“The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.”
About MākuSafe, Corp.
MākuSafe is an award-winning connected worker wearable technology and safety data analytics solution. Our mission is to improve worker health, safety, and productivity by reducing injuries and mitigating workplace hazards and risk exposures. The company was founded based on the simple premise that every individual worker’s experience is unique to them and that data gathered about environmental exposures and ergonomic motions from each individual is critical to understanding risk in the workplace.. This data includes industrial hygiene and environmental concerns, slips/trips/falls, strain and exertion, ergonomic risk, and location/proximity. This approach provides a more complete picture of workplace risk, the trends and changes in those risks over time, and integrates the worker into connected advanced manufacturing environments to accelerate industry 4.0 initiatives. In addition, the push-to-talk capability on the wearable improves communication by enabling real-time reporting from the front-line worker. Enhancing communication contributes positively to organizational culture, participation, and engagement. Learn more at www.makusafe.com.
About AFRL
The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 12,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit afresearchlab.com.
About AFWERX
As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 325 military, civilian and contractor personnel at six hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has executed 4,697 contracts worth more than $2.6 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: afwerx.com.
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PDF of release available below for download.
