First Industry Partner at Ames
NASA'S AMES RESEARCH
CENTER AT MOFFETT Field, California, has signed an agreement with
Arkenstone, Inc., establishing the Sunnyvale, California, nonprofit
corporation as its first industry resident partner at the sprawling
Ames Moffett Complex. Arkenstone is a leading provider of technology
for people with visual or reading disabilities. It is a nonprofit
organization dedicated to developing and distributing adaptive technology
to people with visual and reading impairments.
"Arkenstone and Ames have common interests," according
to Arkenstone President and CEO James Fruchterman. "NASA Ames
is the leading center for information technology, while our primary
mission is information access for the disabled," he said. "As
an industry partner in the Ames Moffett Complex, we can develop
many joint projects to help transfer and commercialize NASA technology,
while Arkenstone will benefit by tapping into a source for technology
solutions and NASA expertise to serve our clients."
Arkenstone is working with Ames in adapting Ames software to provide
the disabled with voice interfaces and Internet access, as well
as creating a staff position responsible for technology transfer
for the disabled. Arkenstone is also hoping to use NASA's Global
Positioning System (GPS) to refine the mobile version of an existing
orientation tool for the disabled, a talking map for personal computers
that plots the best path from one place to another and can be transferred
to a Braille printer or into personal tape recorders. The company
wants to increase the accuracy and affordability of the mobile version,
a notebook computer that plots out the route ahead of time and guides
the disabled along the route, using a GPS receiver to keep on course
or determine location while walking.
A Reimbursable Space Act Agreement was signed, providing the framework
for the partnership between the two organizations. It supports NASA's
mission to use the agency's unique competence in science and engineering
systems to assist bioengineering research, development and demonstration
programs designed to alleviate and minimize the effects of disability.
In addition, the agreement promotes NASA's Agenda for Change
by disseminating NASA Ames technology and expertise to the community
through external partnerships for humanitarian and possible economic
purposes.
"Under the terms of the agreement, Arkenstone located its
offices in Building 23 at the Ames Moffett Complex and is the first
industry partner to locate at the complex," Ames Research Center
Director Dr. Henry McDonald said. Ames is pursuing many new tenants
for the complex and industry partners for research and development
activities.
Arkenstone products are distributed in the United States and abroad
by a network of more than 100 dealers. The company also provides
information and technical support directly to people with disabilities
through its toll-free number, 800/444-4443, supporting all of the
United States and Canada.
For more information, contact Roberta Brosnahan at Arkenstone,
Inc.
Call: 408/245-5900, E-mail: roberta@arkenstone.org
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NEW
BUSINESS INCUBATORS JOIN NETWORK
NASA
has awarded cooperative agreements to three entities to establish
a new business incubator, in addition to its existing six
incubators, for the primary purpose of commercially applying
NASA technology. This puts in place a nationwide resource
for NASA to expand the growing high-technology interests of
small businesses and educational institutions. Each entity,
made up of a mix of public- and private-sector groups, must
match the NASA funding it receives with cash or in-kind funding
from nonfederal sources.
A high-technology
business incubator will be established at each of three NASA
centers. One will be at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,
Maryland, and a second will be at Langley Research Center
in Hampton, Virginia. The third will be at the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, combined with Dryden
Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. In addition
to the establishment of these three new business incubators
at NASA centers, funds also were provided to enhance services
to firms at the six existing NASA incubators at Ames Research
Center, Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Lewis
Research Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, and Stennis
Space Center.
These
business incubators provide U.S. start-up or small existing
high-technology firms and U.S. educational institutions with
a wide array of critical business development support services
for the primary purpose of commercially applying NASA technology.
For more
information, contact Mike Braukus at NASA Headquarters.
Call: 202/358-1979, Fax: 202/358-3750, E-mail: mbraukus@hq.nasa.gov
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