Center of Innovation for Manufacturing Helps ARMR Systems Revolutionize Battlefield Injury Care

Every year, 90% of preventable military deaths are due to hemorrhage from traumatic battlefield injuries in situations where advanced medical support is not immediately available. When soldiers are wounded in the field, they frequently do not have time to get to an operating surgeon. Faced with this challenge, Snellville-based ARMR Systems began work on finding a solution.
Founded by two former Georgia Tech students, the company has developed an innovative harness designed to stop a massive hemorrhage due to IED or other attacks. With just a couple turns of the handle, the device locks in and compresses the femoral artery to slow the flow of blood and allow military personnel time to get to an operating field surgeon.

After creating an initial design, the company needed to further refine its product. That's when they turned to the Center of Innovation for Manufacturing and director John Zegers for help in gaining access to the research and lab-testing capabilities found within the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute. This connection ultimately gave them the means to 3D print an array of new designs and test those designs to achieve an optimal product.

'ARMR came to us through the student start-up program at Georgia Tech with an initial product design. We gave them the connections to the right researchers to iterate and test their device here in Georgia and enhance their product.'

The group also received access to T3 labs to conduct two rounds of cadaver testing for the product—the first to test their final designs, and the second to compare their design to the industry standard. Through these tests, they found that their device provided greater hemorrhage control with one-handed application and quicker deployment than the current available product.

 'The Center for Innovation of Manufacturing gave us the resources and support we needed to advance our design and get great clinical data. We needed to move forward, and John Zegers helped us do that." -Yegor Podgorsky, co-founder of ARMR Systems

[caption id="attachment_29614" align="alignright" width="375"] Co-founders Yegor Podgorsky and Chibueze Ihenacho with Center of Innovation for Manufacturing director John Zegers[/caption]

As selected participants in the prestigious startup accelerator Mass Challenge, the team at ARMR Systems is currently working between Boston and Atlanta continuing product and business development. Upon completion of the program, they will return to Atlanta to implement a series of pilot studies with both military and first-responder partners, domestically and abroad. The company looks forward to continued collaborations with their manufacturing and research partners in Georgia, working to save lives in the field and here at home.

For more information on the Center of Innovation for Manufacturing and how we help businesses innovate in Georgia, please click here.