The Association of University Research Parks presented its 2011 Innovation Award to the small, minority-owned business TEAM Technologies Inc. of Albuquerque, N.M., for commercialization of a Sandia National Laboratories technology that uses water to disable improvised explosive devices.
The technology — TEAM licensed it as “Stingray” — was invented by Steve Todd and Juan Carlos Jakaboski, both Sandia employees, and Chance Hughs, a former Sandia employee. The device, which shoots a thin blade of water capable of penetrating steel, is placed near a suspected bomb or package and shreds or punches a hole in it before it detonates.
The device is small enough to be carried in a soldier’s backpack and rugged enough to be placed by a robot. The licensing agreement between Sandia and TEAM, which is located in the Sandia Science & Technology Park, allowed the business to advance the device’s design and bring it to market.
AURP said the Stingray is a dramatic improvement in water disruption tool technology, and is already being used in warzones by the military against IEDs placed where they can kill or maim troops. TEAM manufactured and shipped more than 8,000 of the units to Afghanistan and 2,000 to U.S. government and law enforcement agencies. The company credits its location in the Sandia Science & Technology Park with helping it collaborate with Sandia and grow as a business.
The 16th Annual AURP Awards of Excellence, presented Dec. 1 in New Orleans, recognize the achievements of outstanding research parks and industry veterans and encourages the development of best practices among research and science parks.
