Fishers company ready to launch vaccine freezer device
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA Fishers startup that has developed a device to safely ship vaccines, food or other perishable items and keep them cold for nearly a month without need of batteries or electricity aims to bring the product to market this year.
The ArcticRX pod is a durable plastic shipping container a bit larger than a dishwasher. Proprietary technology developed in conjunction with thermal engineers from Rolls-Royce in Indianapolis allows the pod to hold vaccines at ultra-low temperatures for up to 28 days, said company co-founder Stuart Lowry.
No battery or electricity is needed. “That’s the game changer,” said Lowry, who along with Shane Bivens started the company as ChefsFridge Co. Rolls-Royce later came aboard amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim to safely ship and store vaccines anywhere in the world, Lowry said.
The partnership yielded ArcticRX, which in 2023 was named the state’s Innovative Small Business of the Year by the Indiana Economic Development Corp. The company also won the 2021 Crossroads Pitch Competition hosted by Bloomington-based business incubator The Mill.
“We wanted to be able to move that type of product that’s really life changing, and also economically changing, for communities,” Lowry said of the vaccine focus.
The pod can withstand extreme cold or heat without damaging the contents inside. “If it’s stuck in customs or stuck in a hot tarmac, we will not have those issues,” Lowry said.
In a couple of weeks, Lowry said, the ArcticRX team will be in Las Vegas to demonstrate its pod to the U.S. Air Force. He said ArcticRX was among about 80 companies worldwide invited to showcase new technologies and new ways to transport items anywhere in the world.
The company also soon expects to begin field tests to ensure the pod withstands the rigors of shipping, and it will begin testing the pod for potential clients and their various product needs.
“What we found is everyone is very excited about what we have, but they want to prove it out for their specific product,” he said. “So that’s the next stage is saying, ‘OK, now we have it, let’s get your product, let’s send it where you want to send it so we can showcase its capabilities.’”
He said the ArcticRX pod is close to its commercial debut.
“We’ve got to keep it covered for just a little longer to make sure we’ve dotted our I’s and crossed our T’s,” Lowry said. “But I’ll tell you, when we pull that [cover] off and introduce us to the world, I think there’ll be a smile, pretty broad smile, on Shane and I that you won’t be able to wipe off for quite a while.”
The first pods are set to make their maiden voyages later this quarter.