This startup developing an ‘airbag’ for battlefield wounds recently moved to Baltimore

A startup developing a device to help stop the bleeding on the battlefield relocated its headquarters to Baltmore from Boston over the last six months, and is looking to grow in Maryland.
ARMR Systems’ device is designed to give soldiers on the battlefield a way to provide initial treatment for a wounded fellow soldier that is bleeding before reaching medics who can provide appropriate care.
In war settings, “bleed outs are the number one cause of preventable death,” ARMR Systems CEO Chibueze Ihenacho said. But time is crucial, as a loss of blood that proves fatal can happen in minutes.
According to Ihenacho, injuries in areas including the upper thigh, groin and upper arm near the armpit are difficult to treat with a traditional tourniquet. The company looked to create “dumb tech” that can be used by any lay person. Ihenacho describes it as a “scalable airbag for hemorrhage control.”
The system includes a lightweight harness and four different configuration of “advanced tourniquets” to apply pressure to targeted artery points and stabilize an injury prior to transport to a medic for more treatment.
Along with military, the startup also sees potential for the device to be used to help treat traumatic injuries in civilian life, as well.
The device is currently in the prototype phase. Ihenacho said it has been piloted with special forces units on three deployments, and has worked on development with personnel from Walter Reed National Medical Center in D.C. and Fort Detrick in Maryland.
Founded by Ihenacho and Yegor Podgorsky in Atlanta, the startup is a graduate of the MassChallenge incubator in Boston, as well as the Halcyon Incubator in D.C. Ihenacho said the team is currently working out of the GRID, an innovation hub which opened in December at the University of Maryland BioPark.
It’s gotten quick attention locally, including a finalist spot at Startup Maryland’s Pitch Across Maryland competition. The startup got support from TEDCO in part in the form of a $100,000 investment from its seed fund, and Ihenacho said work around medical device manufacturing at the LaunchPort in City Garage was also attractive. Going forward, Ihenacho said the company is looking to raise additional funding as it continues to develop the product.