Team: Sensatek Propulsion Technology, Inc. | Origin: Florida | Participation: NSF I-Corps, 2017
Sensatek Propulsion Technology develops ceramic materials derived from fused polymers for wireless sensors on the most extreme parts of an engine. This technology, led by a Marine Corps veteran, may be used for aircraft such as F-18s or Air Force One. These passive resonant frequency antennas create a wireless sensor that does not need cables or batteries to be "the eyes" on the costliest parts of gas turbine engines. The wireless sensors are sprayed directly on blades to provide temperature data that feeds into remaining useful life models to further predict outages. The sensors can withstand temperatures up to 800°C and speeds up to 126,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) to increase the efficiency of engines and determine how long the parts will last, allowing manufacturers to schedule maintenance, and saving money.
"After conducting over 165 customer discovery interviews, we discovered that not only was there a significant value proposition in eliminating $3 million outages per gas turbine per year, but there was also a market opportunity around delivering this innovation to over 35,371 gas turbines installed around the world, poising a $1.8 billion total available market opportunity for power generation gas turbines alone," said Reamonn Soto, founder of Sensatek Propulsion Technology, Inc.