163417 Resource 149170 155860 149257 1174838736150 1174926989229 Controlled Small Business Innovations Bring New Technology, Big Ideas

Entrepreneurs and small business owners are creating new tools that will change the way you do business

If you own a small business, you are part of a very influential group of innovators. In fact, because of small businesses that challenge traditional methods and push the envelope, you can look forward to new, useful products that will change the way you conduct business and your everyday experiences. Entrepreneurs across the United States are receiving grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), an independent federal agency, to conduct research and develop new products. Funding under the NSF’s Small Business Innovation Research Program totals approximately $88 million per year. Most of these new ideas and products come out of four main research areas: biotechnology, information technology, electronics and advanced materials. Some of the new products that are in development by different companies: Traffic Jam Assistance. Cell phone signals from drivers can be collected to determine traffic speed and congestion. This information, combined with other data, will help you find better routes. Drivers can be alerted through cell phone messages, in-car navigational systems or electronic road signs. Bag Screening Technology. A faster screening process will be available at airports, factories and office buildings with new X-ray and computer technology. Enhanced screening will also improve safety by allowing the authorities to react quicker when weapons are spotted by computers that cross-check items with a database of dangerous goods. Fingerprint and voice recognition. Workers will be able to be identified before they enter a building or log onto a computer with low-cost touch-sensor technology. This technology will do a better job of identifying fingerprints than past efforts. Also, microphones are combined with motion sensors to aid in voice recognition. Gloves Versus a Computer Mouse. Fingers can be moved in any direction inside special gloves to reflect up, down or sideways motions and apply pressure to simulate the abilities of a mouse or a laptop's touchpad. The gloves also have gaming, industrial, military, robotics and prosthetics uses. If you own a company that would like to be considered for research, details are available at <A href="http://www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/">www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/</A>. 10 application/xml false business innovations entrepreneurs new technology small business small business innovations small business owners Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 3.0.04506.30; .NET CLR 1.1.4322) 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 cmalmstrom false true false false true 189572 false false true false false false true 149170 blog blogsite/FreedomVoice/web