FACES OF T E C H N O LO G Y
the leaders in the world of technology
2018
reamonn S oto
Founder, Sensatek Propulsion Technology Inc.
www.sensatek.com
R
eamonn Soto was destined to pursue a technology career
since high school, when a knack for fixing computers earned
him designation as the neighborhood’s resident information
technology expert.
Fast forward to 2013 and Reamonn was running his first business,
with a physics degree, U.S. Department of Energy internship, and
eight years of Marine Corps experience under his belt. In partnership
with a friend and co-founder, he had started an auto shop in North
Florida poised to convert car engines to run on cleaner-burning
compressed natural gas.
“After we successfully built up that
business, I decided to transition
ownership of the company to focus on
something that I was really passionate
about,” Reamonn said.
Reamonn returned to school at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
to pursue a master’s degree in aviation and aeronautics. While
conducting research at Embry-Riddle’s jet engine lab, he noticed
turbine engines were continuing to fail due to overheating. Digging
deeper, he discovered that temperatures in the hottest parts of
turbines often went undetected simply because no sensors could
withstand extreme heat.
unplanned downtime of about 10 days. For a company relying
on thousands of gas turbine engines such as Siemens, this
equates to multimillion-dollar losses.
Reamonn was compelled to fix the problem. He and his wife,
Azryana Soto, worked with the University of Central Florida
and Florida State University to develop proprietary ceramic
sensors to withstand extreme heat and transmit data wirelessly.
Their technology was the first of its kind to enable monitoring
of turbine engine conditions, resulting in money saved from
extended maintenance intervals and prolonged life of the part.
The Sotos credit funding and research support from the
National Science Foundation, NASA, StarterStudio Seed Fund,
Embry-Riddle, the University of Central Florida and Florida State
University for helping commercialize their technology and launch
Sensatek in 2015. Reamonn is also quick to recognize the
company’s strong team.
“It takes a village to raise a child and I think it takes one to raise
a company, too.”
The overheating of just one turbine engine could cost its owner
dearly, resulting in almost $2 million in unscheduled maintenance and
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