ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The US Department of War (DOW) has today announced five finalists for the 2025 Maintenance Innovation Challenge (MIC), a competition that seeks innovative solutions with potential to improve DOW sustainment operations with the goal of improving materiel readiness.
The five finalists are:
- “Advanced Manufacturing Competitive Advantage Pathfinder,” submitted by the US Marine Corps’ Marine Depot Maintenance Command. This unit’s Digital Manufacturing Exchange (DMX) offers an accredited digital backbone for transmitting technical data packages and IP-protected manufacturing data, enabling point-of-need production of repair parts via 3D printers and other manufacturing assets.
- “AI-Powered Robotic Maintenance Repair and Overhaul,” submitted by GrayMatter Robotics. This firm’s AI-driven system enables geometry-agnostic, adaptive automation without preprogramming. Scanning captures the geometry of any part; planning incorporates operator input to generate optimal toolpaths; execution drives a range of robotic tools; and verification embeds inline quality checks for continuous feedback.
- “FIRstView Enhanced Real-Time Thermography for Field NDI,” submitted by Thermal Wave Imaging, Inc. This firm offers a handheld, battery operated thermographic non-destructive inspection (NDI) system that provides real-time results to the inspector. Signal processing enhances subsurface defect indications and compensates for operator jitter and surface emissivity variations.
- “Grey Gecko Real-Time Inspection Tool (GRIT),” submitted by Gray Gecko, LLC. This firm offers a rugged, handheld, battery-powered infrared imager that “sees through paint,” detecting corrosion, cracks, voids, and moisture beneath coatings up to 25 mils thick without the need for chemicals, PPE, or external power. It delivers live, high-resolution images on a tablet along with customizable metadata.
- “NESAR Distance Support Kit,” submitted by the US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) 05T Directorate’s Navy Expeditionary Sustainment and Repair (NESAR) team. This group’s deployable video telepresence enables technicians in the field to access remote experts for rapid assistance with complex diagnosis and repair, coupling video consultations with the ability to share documents, step-by-step instructions, and on-screen annotations—all via secure connections.
The MIC’s objective is to raise awareness of new and promising technologies and processes that show strong potential to positively impact DOW sustainment. The five finalists will present their solutions at the 2025 DOW Maintenance Symposium, scheduled for December 9-12, 2025, in Louisville, KY.
The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), the competition’s facilitator, has committed to support the winners’ innovations by making available $50,000 of in-kind support for the Overall Award and the People’s Choice Award winners to enable them to conduct further demonstrations for DOW representatives.
For more information on the Maintenance Innovation Challenge, visit: https://ncms.org/maintenance-innovation-challenge. Reference to NCMS does not constitute or imply endorsement or recommendation by the Department of War.
About NCMS
NCMS is a cross-industry technology development consortium dedicated to improving the competitiveness and strength of the US industrial base. NCMS leverages a network of industry, government, and university partners to develop, demonstrate, and transition innovative technologies efficiently, with less risk and lower cost. The NCMS network benefits from an accelerated progression of idea creation through execution. Learn more at www.ncms.org, at NCMS’s LinkedIn, and at @ncmsmfg.
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