Midwest Research Institute (MRI), a Kansas City-based institution with more than 60 years of experience in scientific research, has been awarded a $26.3 million project from the U.S. Army to develop the first-of-its-kind integrated Individual Protection Ensemble (IPE) Mannequin System that will be able to perform high fidelity tests on individual protective equipment under live chemical exposure conditions.
The IPE Mannequin system features a free-standing, self-balancing robot that simulates human physiology for realistic tests of protective equipment in a controlled environment that includes an exposure chamber and control room.
"MRI has more than 40 years of experience in providing the U.S. Department of Defense with cutting-edge research, development, testing, and evaluation in the areas of personal and collective protection, chemical and biological detection, and decontamination," said MRI senior vice president and director of research operations Michael F. Helmstetter, Ph.D. "Our team, composed of five world-class partners, has the combined capabilities and expertise to unequivocally meet the design-to-build requirements for this unique, sophisticated IPE Mannequin System and we are honored to be awarded this opportunity from the U.S. Army."
MRI, the prime contractor for this award, will serve as the systems integrator and is responsible for systems engineering, program management, integration and chemical expertise. MRI's sub-contractors for the award include: Boston Dynamics – responsible for the robotic mannequin design and fabrication; Measurement Technologies Northwest – responsible for the mannequin physiology; Smith Carter CUH2A (SCC) – responsible for the containment chamber design; and HHI Corporation – responsible for construction and installation of the exposure chamber. Work for the IPE Mannequin System will be performed in Kansas City, Mo.; Waltham, Mass.; Seattle; Atlanta; and Farmington, Utah, with an estimated completion date in April 2011.
