Xybernaut(R) Wearable PC Selected for NASA Zero Gravity Testing
Friday April 16, 8:30 am Eastern Time
MIT & St. Leo College Teams Test MA IV(TM) for Diagnostics & NASA Flight Training
FAIRFAX, Va., April 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Xybernaut Corporation (Nasdaq: XYBR) today announced that the Xybernaut Mobile Assistant® (MA IV(TM)) wearable PC was the first wearable PC ever used in tests performed at the NASA training center Johnson Space Center in Houston to monitor vital human statistics and speed up astronaut flight-simulator training.
Two teams, from MIT and St. Leo's College, performed separate tests using the MA IV wearable PCs on-board the modified 707 airplane KC-135 flight simulator in zero gravity, which mimics astronaut conditions in space with the aircraft's repeated steep climbs and descents of 35,000 feet. The St. Leo team tested whether the wearable PCs would affect training time and accuracy in space maneuvers and tests. The MA IV uses video to show astronauts how to do their jobs while leaving their hands and feet free to move about and work. Traditional NASA training methods use audio alone. The team performed tests much faster with the MA IV than with traditional procedures.
MIT's NIMBLE team (NonInvasive Microgravity Biomedical Life Sciences Experiment), used the MA IV to serve as a biomonitoring device and multipurpose tool while floating in space. During the flights, they monitored heart rate by pulse and ECG measurements during both microgravity and hypergravity periods and instantly recorded their results using the MA IV. These parabolic test flights were broadcast live on MIT's web site at mit.edu on Fri., March 26th, 1999.
''The MA IV greatly simplifies tasks that require the use of two hands, and in the future may allow astronauts to complete procedures more efficiently,'' said Christopher E. Carr, MIT NIMBLE Team Member. ''The goal of our recent microgravity experiment on board the NASA KC-135 was to demonstrate a system capable of performing non-invasive biomedical monitoring while also serving as a multifunctional tool. Several computer systems were evaluated, and the Mobile Assistant IV from Xybernaut Corporation was chosen due to its relatively low weight and competitive performance for the use of a wearable computer as a checklist.''
Matt Dooris of the St. Leo's College Team commented, ''I can say with certainty, that the body wearable computer was found to be between 7-13% faster than audio equipment when performing simple tasks in a microgravity environment.'' He went on to say, ''To many, this percentage may seem insignificant. However, in space, every minute is important. A task (e.g. satellite repair) that normally requires 8 days to complete will only require a little under 7 days to complete with the use of the body wearable computer. This extra day could be used for additional scientific research, exploration, or documentation. Landing the shuttle a day earlier could also mean a great deal of money saved for NASA.''
Ed Newman, President and CEO, Xybernaut Corporation added, ''We are very proud that the MA IV was included in an experiment of this kind, potentially furthering the capabilities and functionality of astronauts during space travel. Academia and industry are constantly finding more and more uses for wearable computing, taking advantage of the flexibility and freedom of this break-through technology.''
The MA IV began shipping to customers in December 1998. It consists of a light-weight, belt-worn computer, a color VGA head-mounted display suspended in front of either eye with microphone and earphone, an optional wrist-mounted flat panel touch screen color display or keyboard, a battery pack, and integrated voice-recognition software. Xybernaut's current customers include leading Fortune 500 companies and government organizations for many mobile knowledge delivery system applications including maintenance and repair, diagnosis, inspection, inventory control, manufacturing and data collection. With pricing below $5,000, the market for wearable PCs is now attractive to organizations for applications where computers have never been used before.
About Xybernaut Corporation:
Xybernaut Corporation is the leader in providing hardware, software and service solutions to the wearable computing industry. The Company's patented wearable computer systems feature speech-activation, flat panel and head-mounted displays that allow users hands-free access to information in the computer's internal storage, in local area networks, and on the Internet on an as-needed, where-needed basis. Xybernaut's software is designed to provide users with the right information needed for the task at hand using consistent navigation techniques and screen presentations. Key industries include manufacturing, distribution, transportation, government, and insurance. Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, Xybernaut also has offices in Europe (Germany) and Asia (Japan).
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the ''Act''). In particular, when used in the preceding discussion, the words ''plan,'' ''confident that,'' ''believe,'' ''expect,'' or ''intend to,'' and similar conditional expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Act and are subject to the safe harbor created by the Act. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any of the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, market conditions, the availability of components for, and delays in the start of, production of the next generations of the Mobile Assistant, general acceptance of the Company's products and technologies, competitive factors, the ability to successfully complete additional financings and other risks described in the Company's SEC reports and filings.
Visit Xybernaut's Web Site at xybernaut.com
SOURCE: Xybernaut Corporation
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