INNI - I/NET Acquires Contract With NASA to Develop Intelligent Control Software
For Complex Situational Analysis I/NET to Develop System for NASA's Advanced
Life Support Research
KALAMAZOO, Mich., Mar 1, 2001 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- I/NET, Inc. (OTC
Bulletin Board: INNI) today announced it has received a contract from the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop a form of
intelligent control technology known as the "Complex Event Recognition
Architecture" or CERA. I/NET said the contract would generate $600,000 over two
years.
CERA is a computer-based system that is able to analyze complex situations in
hostile or unusual environments. The system is capable of contemplating a wide
variety of variables in a given situation and either correcting a problem on its
own or prompting an operator to act.
Dr. Will Fitzgerald, chief technology officer of the Kalamazoo, Mich.- based
software and solutions provider, said NASA's interest in CERA stems from the
agency's current research into advanced life support systems.
"Potential human habitation of the Moon and Mars would require more resources
than a spacecraft can carry. As a result, NASA is researching regenerative
life-support systems that possess a great deal of autonomy. As part of such a
system, CERA would act as 'intelligent' monitoring software, capable of getting
beyond the black-or-white, on-or-off perceptions of typical computing systems.
CERA can develop a more informed awareness of situations and has the capability
to determine the best response."
One potential use of CERA involves determining the true accuracy of sensors
under complex, highly variable circumstances. For instance, bumping a tank being
filled with liquid could cause a temporary measurement, such as "full," and
result in dangerous and expensive stop and re-start filling procedures. With
CERA, the system could use various patterns, such as the mass of liquid or the
flow rates, to identify the situation as a likely false "full" reading and
advise operators accordingly.
"Our work for NASA will generate cash flow and integrate our conversational
interface technology with the development of CERA. As a result, we will be
well-positioned to leverage the broad commercial potential of this technology in
the future," said Stephen J. Markee, I/NET president and chief executive
officer.
The development contract is being facilitated under the federal Small Business
Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The SBIR program allows small businesses in
the United States to perform research for federal agencies in three phases --
prototype, development and commercialization. I/NET's SBIR contract is a Phase
II, two-year contract. I/NET's Dr. R. James Firby is the contract's Principle
Investigator.
"As control systems move into increasingly unstructured environments, such as in
heavy industry and space flight, software will be needed to provide flexible
action and reaction to changing situations," Fitzgerald said. "Unstructured and
hostile environments such as nuclear waste sites, undersea mine detection, and
terrestrial and extraterrestrial planetary exploration are all natural fits for
this technology."
"Home and factory control systems are continuing to move in the direction of
complex custom-built systems that work in changing environments and flexible
systems will become a necessity. This technology may hold the solution for these
type of challenges."
In February of 2001, I/NET announced that it had established an office in
Chicago, Ill. to pursue the development of conversational interfaces and
intelligent controls. A conversational interface, also termed a natural language
interface, allows a person to interact with a computer or control system using
normal, conversational language. The Chicago-based operation is staffed by
several of the world's leading researchers and software engineers in the area of
natural language processing.
I/NET provides software and services to small businesses, Fortune 500
corporations and government agencies. Established in 1982 as a contract software
development firm, I/NET has been a pioneer in the areas of digital imaging,
voice recognition and multimedia. Visit inetmi.com .
This news release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to
the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual
results may differ substantially from these statements. For a more complete
disclosure of these risk factors, please refer to the Company's quarterly Form
10-Q and Form 10-K filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SOURCE I/NET, Inc.
CONTACT: Stephen J. Markee of I/NET, Inc., 616-344-3017, ext. 104,
smarkee@inetmi.com ; or Don Hunt or Ryan McGrath of Lambert,
dwards &
Associates, Inc., 616-233-0500, mail@lambert-edwards.com , fo
I/NET, Inc.
URL: inetmi.com |
