Local veteran creates technology to keep military personnel safe

DAYTON — A local veteran is working to make the world safer for those serving in the U.S. military.

Nick Ripplinger who is the owner of Battle Sight Technologies turned his passion for keeping his brothers and sisters in arms safe into a million-dollar business.

When Ripplinger was injured his time in the military was cut short. Like many veterans he wasn’t sure what to do at first, but then he got an idea.

What looks like a glow in the dark marker is actually much more.

“It works just like a wax crayon. Crayola that you’d give kids,” he said.

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But it’s far from a toy.

“This white stuff is one of the active chemicals so when you write with it, it’s breaking all those capsules,” Ripplinger said.

Which then produces an infrared light. He said, “it’s only visible with the night vision goggles.”

It’s called CrayTac and it helps soldiers communicate in the dark.

“It’s mostly designed for close quarters combat where you’re going to go room to room and you can just write on the doors,” Ripplinger said.

He created CrayTac in 2017 shortly after his time in the military ended abruptly following an injury.

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“I feel like my mission got cut a little short and I had more to offer,” Ripplinger said. “A way to feel still in the fight for men and women on the front lines.”

Now, he spends his time thinking of new ways to keep our soldiers safe.

“Just trying to find new ways to provide the tools that they need to be successful in their mission,” he said.

Ripplinger said he continues to search for new ways to keep our men and women in the military safe. Right now, he’s working on expanding from infrared crayons to one visible to the naked eye, which he says is specifically designed for military firefighters.

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