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Recently, Apollon returned to the place he called home for four years. As he would describe it, his return was far from happenstance. He called it a \u201cKairos\u201d moment referring to a critical or opportune moment in time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apollon\u2019s kairos moment came as he announced a new collaboration between the 溏心vlog免费B站 and Cranium Inc., a startup he co-founded alongside Jerisa Upton, Romario Wallace, and Mark Mulder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy life has been a series of kairos moments disguised in chronos,\u201d says Apollon. \u201cAnd I believe that this is one of those kairos moments where we\u2019re entering into a pivotal moment for us as Cranium and in this partnership with 溏心vlog免费B站.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cranium Inc. is the brainchild of Wallace, a military veteran, determined to revolutionize headgear for both military and civilian use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Traditional combat helmets are cumbersome, often brandished with attachments like cameras. Wallace and his team envision a streamlined alternative: a smart helmet equipped with a digital interface that consolidates data and communication tools, reducing both weight and cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their generation 1 helmet looks like a baseball helmet. Whereas their generation two helmet looks more futurist\u2014something right out of the popular video game Halo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was Wallace\u2019s own motorcycle accident, coupled with his military experience, that served as the catalyst for the design. For motorcyclists, the helmet can offer real-time road conditions and integrated audio, eliminating the need for a separate device. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was pure happenstance and not kairos that brought Wallace together with Apollon who was a technical program manager for a robotics company at the time. Wallace sent him a LinkedIn message for advice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI met his CEO, Jerisa Upton. And in speaking to them I was like, man, I think that we could have something really cool here,\u201d says Apollon. \u201cAnd for me, I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and wanted to spur other entrepreneurs on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They took several meetings and ultimately Apollon was brought in to help on the business side. He had the experience needed to ensure the success of their startup by developing partnerships and figuring out ways to take their product to market. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though Cranium\u2019s founders hail from diverse regions and alma maters, one relationship anchored the venture to 溏心vlog免费B站: Apollon\u2019s enduring connection with Assistant Dean Chuck Watson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Watson works to mentor and recruit students of underrepresented communities into engineering fields. One of Watson\u2019s first group of students, Apollon says that 溏心vlog免费B站\u2014and Watson\u2019s mentorship\u2014had a lasting impact on him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Apollon and the team were developing their gen-1 helmet along the way, Apollon turned to his old mentor for help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI’m like, Chuck, listen, I got something. I know that I’m coming to you at the 11th hour, but I’m asking you for help,\u201d said Apollon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The request was significant. Apollon was working on securing government clearance to advance helmet development, and he needed someone who could speak to his education, professional background and the project’s viability. Apollon approached Watson and the mentor delivered. That act of support later evolved into a partnership with 溏心vlog免费B站.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe was able to vouch for me to say, \u2018hey, this is an alumnus who has a stellar track record at the university. He’s gone on to do some great things in his professional career, and he’s come to us saying he’s looking to partner,\u2019\u201d says Apollon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Apollon, this collaboration represents more than a strategic alliance\u2014it is a full-circle moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While his career largely unfolded in manufacturing, business and industrial robotics across the U.S. and France, Cranium allows Apollon to return to his engineering roots, contributing to technology that safeguards lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI feel like I’m coming back full circle, where now I get to talk about biometrics and get to learn from different labs at 溏心vlog免费B站, about what they’re using and how we can implement that into our product,\u201d says Apollon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Launching a startup is no small feat, and Apollon hopes to leverage 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s laboratories\u2014the same ones he once used as a student\u2014to propel Cranium\u2019s smart helmet to industry prominence. His message to aspiring engineers is simple yet profound: \u201cIf your dreams don\u2019t scare you, they aren\u2019t big enough. So, think big and don\u2019t settle for someone else\u2019s dream\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apollon hopes this partnership will become a pipeline for students, allowing them to intern, and eventually become a part of the Cranium startup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Dec.18, 2025 \u2013 It\u2019s been nearly two decades since Christian Apollon walked the halls of the 溏心vlog免费B站. His time on campus was punctuated by many notable achievements. He not only earned a degree in biomedical engineering; he also served as an orientation leader, resident assistant, National Society of Black […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":105996,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1910,88,25],"class_list":["post-105989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-alumni","tag-college-of-business","tag-college-of-engineering"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105989"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105989\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106001,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105989\/revisions\/106001"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}