Disclaimer: Army lab workers/researchers are supposed to be PUBLIC SERVANTS.

Yet, it is challenging to obtain support from them for stuff the public is asking me for.
If you don’t like my words here then please work to change that.
Natick especially has a history of wrongdoing among small businesses and startups and contractors.

The link to SBIR A16-062:
https://www.sbir.gov/sbirsearch/detail/870661

The awardees of SBIR A16-062:

• Continuum Dynamics & their toothed fastener:
  https://portal.armysbir.army.mil/Portal/SmallBusinessPortal/Portal/SummaryReports/Report.aspx?id=262d87cf-e726-444e-86cc-03f247fbfe15
  Archived here: http://archive.is/MAY9D
  The Army could’ve bought a toothed fastener and done whatever they did to it for likely under $50. But, $100K later…no Phase II reconciles things.

• NanoGriptech & their gecko grip adhesive:
  (No required phase one summary report online even though they have their Phase II award now… because someone’s hiding it from public viewing.)
  SBIR history: https://www.sbir.gov/sbirsearch/detail/890409
  This startup has received over $4 Million in federal dollars and this was Natick throwing now $600K more at them for stuff NASA, CBD, and NSF have already been through and… likely aren’t using. Couldn’t Natick have just asked for a sample from a prior Phase II, say from their duplicative of A16-062 Phase II of CBD13-109?
  CBD13-109: https://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/sbir/solicitations/sbir20131/cbd131.htm
  “PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: First responder and anti-terrorism personnel would also benefit from use of improved protective garments providing hermetic sealing. In addition to protective clothing, other applications such as for respirator face seals [duplicative of CBD09-102], vehicle doors and windows, and attachment of tent and other shelter modules [duplicative of A16-062] are possible. Further, the closure can be used for applications such as face masks in hospitals, schools, and other buildings when high levels of protection from indoor contaminated air are desired.”
  “Dual use applications” is keyword for “similar applications”
  They’re saying you can take the results of CBD13-109 and apply it to the other named applications.
  If the applications are similar and the tech is similar (they only make one product) then how are the grants not similar/duplicative?

So we have toothed fasteners (which the SBIR explicitly says doesn’t work) and a superior hook and loop type closure proposed to stretch the boundaries of the state of the art of durable, hermetic seals.

But, the standard for ALL hermetic seals is the BDM zipper of the Apollo mission space suits.
(And, still three zippers plus hook and loop were needed for that purpose…just to be ‘safe.’)

The standard qualifiers for hermetic capability based on the current standard are as follows:
14.5 psi water/liquid
4 psi air

Well SBIR A16-062, among other things has asked for:
36 psi liquid (…nearly 3x the standard! and Continuum Dynamics and NSRDEC thought a plastic molded zipper could get us there)
16 psi air (…4x the standard! and nanoGriptech and NSRDEC think a silent, more durable gecko adhesive can get us there)

Now, with Continuum Dynamics’ offering…
Tell me… has the plastic molded zipper on your favorite hoodie ever felt like it could keep you alive in space?
I know a plastic molded zipper couldn’t get us there because I’ve tested those myself.

Now, with NanoGriptech’s offering…
Tell me… has the hook and loop fastener on your Boy Scout patches ever felt like it could keep your favorite hoodie on you?
I bet ANY amount of money that nanoGriptech’s closure wouldn’t even meet the standard that plastic molded zippers meet (ASTM D2061.)

BUT THIS IS WHAT NSRDEC IS GIVING NEARLY $1 MILLION TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO!

And they tell me that the Army doesn’t have any funding to provide funding to a startup in order for that startup to test and further develop a closure…

• That is like no one has ever seen before (mine.)
• That they’ve been looking for since the end of WWI and the advent of chemical weapons.
• That already has some promising data that says it beats the standard.
• That numerous contractors at AUSA 2018 have felt in their hands and, before that, just saw my website and asked for samples of.
• That they say causes ‘cultural issues.’ (sole source, current contractor disruption)

I must be the only one who is not just trying to make a lot of money being an SBIR grant mill.
I want to be supported just as all of these technologies that WON’T WORK are being supported. But, apparently, no part of the Army can find $100K to give to Zipr Shift because of (mainly) the ‘cultural issues.’

So…soldiers, contractors, and other Army workers, PLEASE, before you contact me:
1. Contact Natick and tell them to stop throwing your tax dollars away.
2. Contact your Congresspeople and tell them to tell Natick to stop throwing money away.

…and then contact me.

But, really, I am swimming in inquiries, demand I can’t meet.
And, even if I could meet it, it wouldn’t be accepted because what the end users want (a disruptive zipper to stop duct taping seals) is what high up Army people don’t want (proprietary sole source, eliminating long held relationships with existing zipper contractors…)

SBIR = Sometimes Better Is Refused

…and it ends up costing lives.