A newly formed Boulder company is developing software to teach children to read.
Mentor Machines Inc. of Boulder, a spin-out from the University of Colorado, received a $100,000 proof-of-concept grant from the university’s Technology Transfer Office last month to continue development and study of how much students improve their reading by using the software.
The computer program is based on six years of work conducted at CU’s Center for Spoken Language Research.
The software, which doesn’t have a commercial name yet, differs markedly from traditional reading instruction, said Marty Best, president and chief operating officer of Mentor Machines. The computer program guides children’s learning with help from a 3D, animated tutor that has realistic lip and facial movements and speech recognition capabilities.
The tutor “will prompt (children) if they don’t say the word correctly,” Best said. “For children that can’t read, the program will read to them.”
The software is designed for children up to the third grade, Best said.
Mentor Machines has three employees who are working in conjunction with 12 researchers at the Center for Spoken Language. Pilot versions of the software are being used by 1,000 students in about 50 schools across the state. The company hopes to release the product to the general public in about a year.
– Kimberly S. Johnson, The Denver Post
Hidden chip to find lost baggage
Denver-based RFID Ltd. has launched its new BagChip system, which is designed to help ensure your luggage is never lost again.
The company wants to sell to travelers and the airline industry luggage tags with embedded radio frequency identification, or RFID, chips. The chips emit signals that allow baggage handlers using an array of RFID-enabled scanners to identify particular bags from up to 200 yards away.
RFID Ltd. wants airlines to invest in BagChip systems. The company also hopes to persuade travel-related companies, such as rental car firms, to pay for tags and transponders. Those companies could give tags to their customers, RFID officials said.
– Kelly Yamanouchi, The Denver Post
