A team led by Dr. Richard Olsen of the NavalAerospace Medical Research Laboratory (NAMRL)has developed and commercialized a novel form ofradio frequency diathermy (RFD) that uses a helicalcoil to deliver uniform, deep-tissue heating fortreatment of pain associated with injuries.When housed in a garment, RFD can be applied ina clinical setting to facilitate core warming toenhance tissue metabolism, vascular blood flow,and physiologic homeostasis without risk ofsuperficial burning. This is particularly criticalduring the passive phase of rehabilitation frommuscular, connective tissue, and skeletal injuries,and provides the impetus for transfer of the Navy-developed technology to the civilian medicalcommunity.Under an exclusive Patent License Agreement,NAMRL transferred this technology to the civilianmedical community through a new company formedto commercialize the technology, SeliCor Inc., ofAustin, Texas. In support of its activities, SeliCorhas outsourced some manufacturing andengineering activities to NASA spacesuitmanufacturer ILC Dover of Frederica, Delaware,and an engineering firm, Sense Technologies ofSan Antonio, Texas, to further develop thetechnology for future therapeutic uses inneurological, dermatologic, and sportsmedicine. Sales of SeliTherm units to date areoutstripping the ability of SeliCor tomanufacture and supply them, and marketresearch indicates that the potential isexceedingly high to attract a significant fraction(on the order of 10%) of the billion-dollarannual market for such devices and relatedservices.The transfer of this technology from the Navyto the civilian medical community allows forconsiderable cost savings in research anddevelopment, and will ultimately translate into amajor impact on occupational medicine,rehabilitative care, and the economic aspects ofpublic health.