Date: Nov 23, 2017 Author: Laura Peters Source: 258 (
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STAUNTON - A downtown Staunton research and development firm has received a research grant from the U.S. Army, according to an announcement last week.
The grant totals more than $1 million.
Ryzing Technologies specializes in engineered textiles and first opened its doors in 2015.
The company was awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant totaling $1.05 million from the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center to continue the development of an adjustable, reusable platform for expeditionary military shelters, a release said.
The million dollar grant will aid the company's growth because Ryzing Technologies will be able to continue the trend of doubling revenues every year through 2018 and will create local jobs, the release said. They will be hiring one to two positions for engineering and technicians in February 2018.
Founders Ryan Gundling and Ryan Long at their workspace
Founders Ryan Gundling and Ryan Long at their workspace at 162A Greenville Avenue, Staunton. (Photo: Submitted/Ryan Gundling)
Founders Ryan Gundling and Ryan Long both took part in the BRIGHT REWIRED Business Plan Competition, completing the training to create their business plan. Since opening, they have implemented projects and provided consulting services for the military, universities, other businesses and municipalities.
"Our goal was to develop a cutting-edge research and development company in the City of Staunton," said Ryan Gundling, CEO/engineer at Ryzing Technologies, in a release. "We believe that Staunton is a place that has existing talent and can attract outside talent. This SBIR grant gives us the opportunity to further build our team and continue to make our goal a reality."
What the grant will be used for
The U.S. Army basecamp provider, Force Provider, deploys their 150-man basecamp in less than four hours. However, the shelters are typically deployed on wooden decks that take days to deploy, require special crews of engineers and carpenters and must be disposed of after the base camp is moved, the release said. Although the platforms are inexpensive, it impairs the army's ability to move swiftly, the release said.
This program is aimed to develop a platform system that can be deployed in hours by soldiers and be packaged to be redeployed with the basecamp several times.
This system will:
save the Army money
reduce the Army's response time
minimize the transportation burden
reduce the amount of waste produced.
Ryzing Technologies' prototype composite ARPS system
Ryzing Technologies' prototype composite ARPS system from Phase I. (Photo: Submitted/Ryan Gundling)
This product could also serve military hospitals, command and control units and the basecamps of other military branches along with several commercial applications, the release said.
Other projects
Other projects Ryzing has been a part of included a deployable hull system for amphibious armored vehicles for the department of the Navy, consulting on structural analysis of air-supported domes and development of soft, inflatable robotic technologies.
Ryzing Technologies' patent pending soft robotic technology.
Ryzing Technologies' patent pending soft robotic technology. (Photo: Submitted/Ryan Gundling)
The inflatable robot technologies was partially funded by the State of Virginia through the Center for Innovative Technologies, as part of the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund grant, a release said. The goal of the robot is to be an articulating, robotic structure that can safely work alongside humans in medical, industrial and military applications and has been successfully demonstrated with a series of prototypes, the release said.
The technology is still in the development stages and Ryzing is looking for market applications.
