19-Year-Old MIT Dropout “Replaces Gunpowder” for the Defense Industry

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Today’s Highlights:

• 19-Year-Old MIT Dropout “Replaces Gunpowder” for the Defense Industry🔫

• Virtual Reality-Based Workplace Training Platform👩‍🏭

MIT Dropout Revolutionizes the Defense Industry by “Replacing Gunpowder”

In the midst of the US’ somewhat delicate state, caused by the war in Ukraine and the infamous global competition with China, the defense industry looks for as much support as possible from various parties. Recently, Pentagon leaders have acknowledged the urgency of involving companies outside aerospace primes, including tech startups, for the sake of national security.

The supply for such support is far from short, as more investors have shown a growing interest in defense startups. In 2022, plenty of aerospace and defense startups raised nearly $8 billion in funds from VCs. One of the defense tech startups that have caught the attention of the Pentagon is Austin-based Mach Industries, founded by 19-year-old MIT dropout, Ethan Thornton.

Funding and Interest

Mach Industries was founded by Thornton in 2022, and the company has raised $5.7 million in new funding led by VC firm Sequoia Capital after only one year of operations.

This seed round of funding also had Marque VC and Champion Hill Ventures taking part.

Aside from alluring venture capital firms, Thornton’s idea of creating military solutions that are less expensive and less exquisite compared to current costly ones has also made the US Department of Defense very much interested in his work.

Is what Thornton claims true really achievable?

Mach Industries’ Munitions Productions

Based on Thornton’s statement during an interview with TechCrunch, Mach aims to shift the mindset that surrounds munitions and hardware, where instead of working on missiles, whose production tends to run long and without question ultra-costly, they like to focus on something more like bullets.

By taking away rockets that require the creation of propellants and sensors and using older, more projectile-based systems, costs can be greatly decreased. And so, replacing every production initially assigned for missiles with the production of bullets is the way to go, according to Thornton.

So, how does Mach conduct such production while at the same time achieving its main mission of replacing gunpowder?

Mach develops platforms, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), munitions, and generation systems that are all hydrogen-powered using techniques such as hydrogen combustion. By involving this chemical process, liquid or gaseous hydrogen gets burned in a modified gas-turbine engine to generate thrust, replacing the use of gunpowder in munitions.

Though the Mach team is headquartered in Austin, they conduct all the engineering work to build Mach’s systems in Boston and apply their hydrogen-based kinetic and combustible applications at their Texas base.

What inspired Thornton to develop such exquisite techniques?

Thornton’s Childhood

Before working on Mach, Thornton attended MIT and started working with MIT’s national R&D center, Lincoln Laboratory, supported by the DOD. Thornton worked with the lab’s group, whose focus was energy systems, but felt Lincoln Lab wasn’t the perfect fit for what he wanted to build.

After acquiring the government connections he needed, Thornton left the Lincoln Lab and dropped out of MIT. Attending MIT while also working on Mach made Thornton feel out of focus. Ambitious about his craft, Thornton said he “couldn’t sit through classes anymore” and decided to focus on building his company.

Even before his time at MIT and Lincoln Lab, Thornton had already gained an affinity toward hardware. As a child, he would spend time with his grandfather, who built kit aircraft. Thornton created his first small arms device in high school, pitching the idea to his parents, who fully funded his project for $200.

Thornton’s experiments made him develop an obsession with electrolysis, the process of splitting water into its constituent elements, one being hydrogen, a vital element playing a part in his products. Thornton created his first small arms device in high school.

It is quite an interesting phenomenon indeed to see the interest of a young child develop into an innovative company that could revolutionize munitions for an entire defense industry.

Mach will be using the seed funding to expand manufacturing, research and development, and to hire more talents. Thornton aims to manufacture thousands of products a year in the next five years.

AI-Generated Idea of the Day

Virtual Reality-Based Workplace Training Platform

Training is one of the most substantial steps needed for an employee to thrive in the workplace. No matter what constitutes their workload, it is always a great idea for employees to acquire new skills and enhance existing ones. Some industries require heavy training, however, and can often be considered dangerous. What if there’s a way for employees to strengthen their abilities and better themselves in a safe and realistic environment? This can be achieved with the Virtual Reality-based Workplace Training Platform!

This VR platform offers immersive and interactive training experiences by creating various industry-specific simulations that replicate real-life scenarios. The platform can customize tasks to match different job roles and skill requirements in a completely virtual, risk-free environment.

By leveraging virtual reality, training can be conducted remotely, allowing employees to learn at their own pace and convenience. Organizations can also:

• Lessen physical training facilities

• Reduce travel expenses

• Minimize equipment setup

The platform is integrated with intelligent algorithms to provide real-time feedback and performance analytics of trainees’ performances. This comprises identifying areas for improvement, tracking skill progression, and offering guidance. Multiple trainees can participate in the same virtual environment simultaneously to foster teamwork, collaboration, and communication.

By training in a virtual, hence controlled environment, trainees can go through immersive safety training for hazardous situations and emergencies, such as response protocols, evacuation procedures, and crisis management, while minimizing risks of real-world dangers.

As with any technology-based solution, thorough planning, content development, and user testing are essential to ensure effective implementation and adoption within organizations.

Meme & AI-Generated Picture

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