At RAPA, our mission is to use our unique expertise in physical acoustics, compressible and elastic systems to develop practical technologies that address real-world applications in industries such as construction, manufacturing, and commercial space flight.

To start, we developed a series of high endurance, ultra-pure fluid reservoirs and accumulators with integrated volume sensor for spaceflight applications. These include the next generation NASA space suit and commercial space vehicle systems. We believe this technology will ultimately find application in terrestrial industry as well.

Our current focus is an innovative hearing protection earplug relevant to the workplace, where 10 million US workers are affected by noise-induced hearing loss. Our earplug will be more comfortable and convenient than existing options and provide more consistent protection, substantially improving hearing conservation outcomes. This work is funded by the National Science Foundation.