AwareAbility Pursues Advanced X-ray Technology

Assistant Professor Praneeth Kandlakunta runs tests in his laboratory
at the OSU Dept of Mechanical Engineering

AwareAbility received a DARPA-STTR Phase II contract award from DARPA to advance X-ray irradiation technology. The project, “A microstructured target for high-efficiency X-ray production,” is led by Nuclear Engineering Research Assistant Professor Praneeth Kandlakunta under an AwareAbility subcontract to The Ohio State University. DARPA is the research and development agency within the Department of Defense, focused on developing cutting-edge technologies for national security purposes.

The award provides $950,000 over two years to advance research on high-efficiency X-ray source technology for food irradiation applications. X-ray irradiation is a food preservation technique that kills bacteria and extends shelf life.

More details can be found at https://engineering.osu.edu/news/2025/03/darpa-funding-advance-x-ray-irradiation-tech