Every week, R&D Magazine will feature an R&D 100 Flashback, chosen from our R&D 100 archive of winners. This week’s flashback is 908 Devices’ M908, which won in 2015. There has been a long-standing unmet need to equip first responders with dependable detection and analysis capabilities that can keep pace with the ever-expanding list of today’s chemical threats. Now, emergency responders can rely on the power and sensitivity of mass spectrometry for fast chemical detection, identification and continuous incident monitoring directly in hand, at the point-of-action. Environmentally hardened to commercial and military standards, 908 Devices’ M908 is battery-powered and designed for effortless operation in full personal protective equipment.
Q: Briefly describe your winning technology.
A: M908 is the first and only handheld tool utilizing high-pressure mass spectrometry (HPMS) for downrange CBRNE and HazMat detection and identification. Purpose built for the safety and security community, M908 expands the analysis capabilities of civilian, federal and military responders adding trace-level detection of high-priority threats in the field. By leveraging the selectivity and sensitivity of HPMS, M908 can detect and identify a range of priority threats in seconds, with high confidence and extremely low false alarm rates. Designed to specifically address requirements for MilSpec rugged tools that operate reliably in extreme conditions, M908 is handheld, and battery operated for the duration of the mission. This 4.4-pound device analyzes threats in vapor, liquid or solid phase and has unmatched dynamic range from low ppb to headspace concentrations.
Q: What made your winning product better than what already existed?
A: Today’s first responders use a wide range of analytical tools and gear to get the answers they need. However, these tools all have their limitations. M908 is the first handheld, purpose-built HPMS device designed to fill in the gaps left by these legacy tools, adding unprecedented value to the first responder toolkit. Early efforts at shrinking MS led to luggable, or person-portable, mass spec systems. However, these instruments remain large and fragile resulting in limited field deployment. Meanwhile, currently deployed handheld Raman and FTIR tools offer a high level of selectivity, but require a large sample size in order to make their analyses. In response, our HPMS technology enables M908 to operate at unprecedented levels of selectivity and sensitivity down to the parts-per-million level and sometimes lower. M908 complements these other tools by detecting critical threats at trace levels, even amongst myriad interferents. Similarly, M908’s increadibly low false alarm rates add additional value for those using IMS tools, which are known for frequently issuing false positive alerts. By adding highly selective, focused chemical analysis capabilities for downrange operations, M908 complements existing fielded technologies, meets the unmet needs of the response mission, and closes technological gaps that have historically left first responders at a disadvantage in mission-critical situations.
Q: How important was your winning technology to its end application?
A: There has long been a need within the first responder community for dependable, portable and easy-to-use detection and analysis tools that can keep pace with the ever-growing list of chemical threats. From chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial materials to precursors and unconventional agents that can disguise themselves as household products, today’s first responders must be prepared for the unexpected. While presently fielded tools are critical to the first response mission, as mentioned above, each has limitations. M908 brings unique capability to each mission with a targeted threat list to enable rapid analysis of priority chemical agents, toxic industrial chemicals, precursors and more. Multiphase capability allows for detection and identification of chemicals from surface residues to ambient and headspace gasses to bring unique and focused capabilities to the survey mission. The ability to identify priority threats, or rule them out at the scene, makes M908 a critical tool for civilian, federal and military responders. As a result, leading organizations such as the State of Massachusetts’ Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Division and National Capital Region’s Hazardous Materials Committee have purchased M908 to expand the capabilities of their first responders, enabling quicker, more accurate threat detection. In the case of the Massachusetts’ Hazardous Materials division, the use of M908 proved instrumental in detecting threats from the presence of multiple, seemingly-benign household substances.
Q: Have you changed your winning product since you won the R&D 100 Award?
A: Since the introduction of M908 in 2014, we have maintained strong relationships with safety and security organizations that have come to rely on our technology for rapid and precise threat detection. Through these partnerships, we have continued to strengthen our product to ensure it continues to meet the changing and expanding needs of our customers. Recently, we made several software and hardware enhancements designed to expand the capabilities of M908. These include heightened sensitivity and the expansion of our target list to more than 100 threat agents, with an emphasis on priority chemicals. We’ve also enhanced the user interface and further streamlined workflow through guidance programs such as the new Walkthrough mode, which serves as a guided graphic interface and measurement sequence for bulk material analysis. In addition, we’ve added new sampling accessories to ensure simplified measurements across various field scenarios.
Q: What value did winning an R&D 100 Award provide to you and your organization?
A: Winning the R&D 100 award last year further enforced the ground-breaking significance of our technology. Recognition by such an esteemed organization has served as an important proof point for our technology. This achievement continues to resonate with customers as we expand our HPMS product line beyond the safety & security industry and into the life sciences, oil & gas, and other applied markets.
Credit: 908 Devices
