Sandia Labs developed an IED-disabling water-blade device

can’t be captured by the human eye, so researchers used computer simulation and high-speed flash X-rays, which can view the interior of imploding high-explosive devices and record the motion of materials moving at ultrahigh speeds, to fine tune the design.

They also used another approach. Soldiers rotating out of Afghanistan and Iraq worked hand-in-hand with researchers and developers to test the device for several months in the New Mexico desert.

Paul Reynolds, TEAM Technologies’ program manager, said the company improved the tool based on the soldiers’ input after it was exposed to dust, water and banging around by the troops. The improvements included providing a better seal and redesigning the water plug so it is easier to insert.

“The soldiers helped on the design to make it more ruggedized and small enough,” Todd said. “It was a very good collaboration.”

TEAM Technologies is a small business of 75 employees based in the Sandia Science & Technology Park adjacent to the Sandia. “The first year we moved into the park here our business just exploded. We grew 70 percent that year,” said Bob Sachs, president and CEO of TEAMTechnologies.

Jackie Kerby Moore, the park’s executive director, said one reason businesses move to the park is so that they can better engage with Sandia. “This is a real-life example of how the research park helps make companies aware of technology transfer opportunities and help fulfill Sandia’s mission to license technologies to private companies,” Moore said.

The company’s first priority is to get the device to troops in Afghanistan, but eventually they would like to sell it to law enforcement and airport security agencies. The device also could be used for forced entry into buildings.

“We saw the opportunity to move into a product line and we jumped on it,” Sachs said “We’re very excited about it. We see it as a whole product line.”

Reynolds said the tool can be placed almost in contact with the target or a distance away without losing its effectiveness. It uses minimal explosive material, its plastic legs can be attached in various configurations so that it can be placed in different positions to disable bombs and it’s built so that robots can easily place it near a target, he said. “This is a giant leap forward in technology,” Reynolds said.

Those researching and developing the fluid blade disablement tool said they felt a sense of urgency to get it into the hands of soldiers as they read nearly daily media reports about deaths of U.S. troops from IED attacks. “When I look back on how this all took place, the thing that comes through to me was that people were motivated to get a lifesaving technology onto the battlefield,” Reynolds said. “This is a lifesaving technology.”