Spark Tank 2023 finalists take center stage at AFA Warfare Symposium

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs Published Mar 8, 2023

Aurora, Colo. (AFNS) — Finalists in the Department of the Air Force’s capstone innovation campaign, “Spark Tank,” presented their ideas to a panel of judges in an event on the last day of the Air and Space Forces Association 2023 Warfare Symposium, March 8.

More than 230 ideas were submitted to Air Force Research Laboratory’s Basic Research Innovation and Collaboration Center in Arlington, Virginia. All of the ideas were evaluated, and the top 15 were presented to be voted upon by Department of the Air Force members. The top six were selected as finalists for presentation at AFA.

Spark Tank finalists present their projects to Air Force senior leaders and other judges during the 2023 Air and Space Forces Association 2023 Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colo., March 8, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Chad Trujillo)

“There is a feeling of empowerment that Airmen and Guardians sense when they witness support from their leadership,” said Maj. Aaron Beebe, Air Force Spark Cell program manager and Spark Tank production manager. “However, this event is more than that—they are seeing the support of their peers. Sometimes that validation can speak louder, knowing that you are not alone in the fight.”

The six innovation proposals selected to compete as 2023 finalists were:

Accelerated Development of Multi-Capable Airmen/Guardians, from Maj. Caitlin Harris, 351st Special Warfare Training Squadron, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, Air Education and Training Command
Advanced Maintenance and Troubleshooting System, from Master Sgt. Aaron Cordroch, 1st Special Operations Maintenance Group, Hurlburt Field, Florida, Air Force Special Operations Command
Infrastructure in an Augmented Reality World, from Lt. Col. Mark Wagner, 374th Contracting Squadron commander, Master Sgt. Sarah Hubert and Tech. Sgt. Raymond Zgoda, 353rd Special Operations Wing and 374th Civil Engineer Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Pacific Air Forces
Project Kinetic Cargo Sustainment, from Capt. Andrew Armor, Master Sgt. Brandon Allensworth, Master Sgt. Peter Salinas, Master Sgt. Jet Nesle and Tech. Sgt. Justin Sprinkel of the 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan, Pacific Air Forces
Real-Time Asset Management System, from Michael Dolan of Space Base Delta 3, at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, Space Systems Command
Project Oregon Trail, from Staff Sgt. Michael Sturtevant, 353rd Special Operations Support Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan, Air Force Special Operations Command

The Spark Tank judging panel was made up of the Department of the Air Force’s most senior leaders and two special guests: Michael Moe, founder and CEO of GSV Holdings, a growth-focused investment platform based in Silicon Valley, and Michelle Johnson, the first female superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy. Panelists listened to pitches from each of the six idea creators, conducted live evaluations, and selected a winner.

group of leadership during finalists presentations

Spark Tank finalists present their projects to Air Force senior leaders and other judges during the Air and Space Forces Association 2023 Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colo., March 8, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Chad Trujillo)

The winning proposal was “Infrastructure in an Augmented RealityWorld.” This idea originated from a deployment to Iraq in 2006, in which Tech. Sgt. Raymond Zgoda accidentally hit a fiber optic cable while digging a trench that was not marked on any of the underground maps his unit possessed. The incident knocked out all communications at his forward operating base for two days.

Years later, Zgoda met Master Sgt. Sarah Hubert and Lt. Col. Mark Wagner, who had recently seen a demonstration at a trade show of augmented reality technology paired with microwave scanning to create underground maps that can identify sinkholes. Zgoda didn’t see any immediate value to his mission in identifying sinkholes, but when he reviewed the augmented reality software with Hubert and Wagner and understood its 3-D mapping capabilities, he knew that it could also be used to identify underground infrastructure not accurately mapped on military bases.

“The hard part is in front of us,” Zgoda said. “We now have to take this idea and implement it on a large scale. We have to work with the contractors and outside entities to get this going. That’s going to be challenging in a variety of different ways, but it’s going to be rewarding too because it is going to positively impact everybody on base. Nobody wants to lose communication or water or anything else underground, and this will ensure that doesn’t happen.”

Spark Tank 2023 is the sixth in a series of annual events. The program encourages Airmen and Guardians from around the Department of the Air Force to develop innovations to improve operations.

“To everyone who helped us make this a reality, thank you,” Wagner said. “To all the other innovators and Spark Cells out there, you have the ideas. Be professionally curious, engage with industry, engage with your people most connected to the mission, and understand their problems to develop solutions.”

Air Force senior leaders meet with Spark Tank finalists during the Air and Space Forces Association 2023 Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colo., March 7, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Chad Trujillo)