Blast Exposure Dosimetry System (BEDS)

Explosive devices are an ever present danger to the modern warfighter. These devices can take a wide range of forms from hand grenades to mortars to improvised explosive devices (IED). The pressure wave from an explosive blast can cause severe internal and external injury to a warfighter, often in the form of traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Currently, those who are within 50m of an explosion, even during training exercises, are taken off duty for at least 48 hours to ensure that no TBIs were suffered. A blast dosimeter, capable of measuring the severity of multiple blast exposures over time, would allow warfighters to determine the likelihood of internal injury due to blast exposure, potentially reducing the amount of off duty time required. In Phase II, McQ will extend its conceptual system design to complete the development, assembly, and testing of a complete prototype dosimeter system, that is ready for government acceptance testing.