908 Devices today announced it was awarded a contract valued up to $11.5 million by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) for the development of advanced chemical detection devices powered by High-Pressure Mass Spectrometry (HPMS) technology.
Under this development program, 908 Devices will integrate Gas Chromatography (GC) with its core HPMS technology creating a compact, lightweight chemical detection device that will provide warfighters with broader and more advanced analysis capabilities downrange.
DTRA fuels next-generation technology development programs with the goal of providing the Department of Defense (DoD) the means for countering threats posed by weapons of mass destruction and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRNE) threats.
“We are honored to receive this contract from DTRA and support their mission to better equip our U.S. warfighters with improved threat detection capabilities,” said Dr. Kevin Knopp, President and CEO, 908 Devices. “Today’s responders are faced with a wider array of threats than ever before, and as the mission expands so must the toolkit. We believe the development of new product variants based on our core HPMS technology platform will play a key role in the future of threat detection and strengthen mission support.”
Under this program, 908 Devices will subcontract with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) along with other commercial entities and national laboratories. Professor J. Michael Ramsey, Goldby Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at UNC-CH and collaborators initially developed HPMS technology under funding from the Defense Advanced Research Agency (DARPA), Department of Energy (DOE) and DTRA.
This platform has become the backbone behind 908 Devices’ product line, including the flagship product, M908, launched in 2014. M908 is a handheld survey tool for priority threat detection and is expanding first responder capabilities around the globe.
