SBIR-STTR Award

The characteristics of materials and designs suitable for an Extreme Environment Handwear System that will meet the requirements of the Special Operations Forces will be quantified. Materials that appear most suitable will be obtained and tested utilizing ASTM tests and tests developed around specific SOF tasks. Current handwear will be surveyed, and those possessing design, materials or construction elements that appear promising will be selected. These, and current SOF handwear, will be subjected to extensive lab and field testing based on SOF requirements. Design elements that appear most promising, and new design concepts that emerge from these tests, will be selected for study. Advanced design concepts in ergonomics, modularity, system integrations, heat transfer, etc will be conceptualized and investigated. Promising construction techniques, including sewing, RF welding, gluing, etc. will be investigated. Prototype handwear systems that incorporate the most promising materials, construction techniques, and design elements will be constructed. These prototype handwear systems will be subjected to thorough lab and field testing to establish environmental and ergonomic performance and to provide a qualitative assessment of their compatibility with SOF mission-essential tasks. Based on these designs and results, recommendations will be made to USSOCOM for Phase II designs.

We have identified a multi-component glove/mitt system that will be suitable for the requirements of SOF personnel. This system, as described in our Phase I report, consists of the CCL, the IWDG, the NGG, the FRP, and the TFM. Based on user feedback we intend to suplement this offering with an Advanced Warm Dry Glove (AWDG), and an Extremely Warm Dry Glove in two variants, a Marine Transit version, and a land version. Changes will be made to Phase I components to increase durability and warmth. The FRP will be dropped from the Phase II effort. Multiple systems will be provided to SOCOM for operational testing and cold chamber testing will be conducted under the auspices of Phase II> Several exciting materials emerged as a result of our Phase I investigation. One material was a prototype that was not yet commercially available. That material is now available paving the way for full production of our NGG for operational testing. We anticipate that the substantial new benefits of increased tactility, warmth, and flame resistance will provide increased operator efficiency and comfort. Several of the components developed for this system will have both commercial marketplace applications and military/police applications that should provide substantial product viabililty.

Keywords:
Handwear, Cold, Sof, Flame Resistance, System, Operational Test, Tactility, Design