Ablaze Development Corporation (www.ablazedevelopment.com), a Delaware County KIZ Partner Company, has been awarded a Phase I STTR contract by the Office of Naval Research for the development of lightweight compact structures that can be applied to protect vehicles from roadside blasts. The general approach will be to develop blast protection materials and structures that defocus and redirect the blast impulse so that the negative effects on the vehicle passengers and the vehicle itself are minimized. This will be accomplished with the aid of artificial intelligence, primarily in the form of genetic algorithms, to help refine the structures. Starting on August 10, 2009, the project will be conducted in conjunction with Villanova University and Jamie Hynemen, host of the Discovery Channel’s popular Mythbusters TV series, via his company M5 Industries.