NextFlex and AFRL hosted a two-day intensive workshop focused on fatigue monitoring of airmen at AFRL’s offices in Dayton, OH. The Sprint involved 38 individuals working collaboratively on concepts that have the potential to serve pilots’ needs. Following an in-depth description of use cases by Regina Shia, a Scientist at AFRL’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, and a discussion of end user needs by active and retired Air Force pilots, five teams were formed comprised of NextFlex members and other companies active in developing products for use in military applications. Each team built conceptual probes using helmets, medical sensors, headphones, masks, and other components. Four pilots provided the teams with subject matter expertise for better understanding of real-life scenarios.
Feedback from participants was very positive and the face-to-face meeting allowed for significantly better understanding of Air Force needs and possible solutions. Several interesting concepts emerged that will allow AFRL to develop proposals for follow-up projects.
Last week we were pleased to host this semester’s FlexFactor at the NextFlex offices. Four teams of high school students competed by pitching their inventive products to a panel of esteemed judges composed of Robert de Neve, General Partner &…
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In April, NextFlex launched its Education & Workforce Development Working Group with its kickoff meeting. Over 40 committed members and stakeholders met to share their insights into education and workforce development initiatives. The working group…
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“Nose presses” is not an official metric of workforce recruiting success for the Penn State Digital Foundry on 5th Avenue in New Kensington, PA, but it is hugely symbolic in the quest to expand the manufacturing talent pipeline in underserved communities…
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NextFlex®, America’s Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Institute, announced its first Education & Workforce Development Innovation Center to recognize Lorain County Community College (LCCC) located in Elyria, Ohio. This special recognition…
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NextFlex Learning Programs, the education-focused arm of the NextFlex® Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Innovation Institute, announces its first spotlight effort, “NextFlex Supports Women in STEM” to increase the number of women in STEM fields, which…
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Since its formation in 2015, the NextFlex community of technologists, educators, problem solvers and manufacturers have come together to collectively facilitate hybrid electronics innovation, narrow the advanced manufacturing workforce gap and promote…
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