Marlborough's Block Gets DOD Contract
Block MEMS of Marlborough, which engineers and develops high performance lasers and spectrometers, has been awarded a contract from the Army's Joint Improvised Device Defeat Organization, the company announced.
Block will adapt its LaserScan spectrometer to detect recently dug-up soil from a distance. That will help indicate where there may be buried explosives, like improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on dirt roads.
Block CEO Petros Kotidis, said, "Buried IEDs have been a major cause of death to our troops at our theaters of operations. Although techniques exist to find buried objects, these techniques can often be fooled. Our LaserScan will provide the soldier with another important tool to avoid triggering these IEDs."
Kotidis said the contract will help Block make the LaserScan smaller and more rugged so it can be used by soldiers on the ground and eventually be mounted on ground vehicles, including small robots.
Block also hopes to adapt the LaserScan for commercial uses, such as analysis of surface layers and detection of residual silicone, oils and lubricants.
Although the financials of the deal were not disclosed, Block's Executive Chairman Daniel Cavicchio said it brings the company's awards from the Department of Defense over the past few months to more than $7.8 million.
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