Getting help from NASA doesn't take ROCKET SCIENCE; Space program innovations accessible for down-to-earth uses 12/29/2003 From: The Stuart News/Port St. Lucie News (Stuart, FL) By: Joel Eskovitz Engineers had kicked around the idea for years, but a technical glitch always thwarted their goal of producing a revolutionary device that would make it easier for the blind to communicate. Unable to crack the code, Camille and Robert Parrott took a Hail Mary approach: They called NASA. Not only did the federal agency get back to them, they arranged for one of their contractors --an engineering consulting firm --to help them solve the problem. It took them two days. All the engineers did was apply existing technology they had used in the space program. Now the Parrotts' Stuart-based company, Guerilla Technologies, is anticipating releasing it next winter. The Parrotts are still working on obtaining a patent, so they cannot detail exactly what the product will do or look like. They are the latest Treasure Coast beneficiaries of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration program that connects companies seeking help with its contractors for up to 40 hours of free help. Admittedly, even administrators of the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program say one of the biggest hurdles is convincing people they're for real. "When people hear about this program, they think it's too good to be true," said program director Paul Secor from his Titusville office. "Or they think it is an up-sell, like the first 40 hours are free and the rest will cost you." But that was not the experience for the Parrotts, nor two Vero Beach companies that requested NASA assistance when they hit a wall. Troubled by frequent lightning strikes that were potentially damaging to the equipment at the Vero Beach radio station he managed, Wayne Dillon kept thinking about how engineers protected the space shuttle while it sat out on the launch pad. "They had been conducting tests that no one else could do," said Dillon, who left WOSN after it was bought a few years ago. "I recognized they were a wealth of knowledge in that area and I wanted to tap into it." Engineers provided detailed drawings on proper grounding techniques to ensure the station's equipment was protected. Important benefits For NASA partners, the impetus to participate is simple: Their livelihood is dependent on people seeing the work that they do. Without the support generated by the $3 million outreach program, the agency might not enjoy a multibillion-dollar annual budget. "Sometimes it's difficult to get your average citizen to see the kind of benefits that are being reaped from this technology," Secor said. A similar argument was espoused earlier this year when the space shuttle Columbia exploded. Space proponents, including former astronaut and current U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Melbourne, pointed out all the technology that has emerged as a byproduct of the industry's work, such as microwaves and cellular phones. NASA partners used that technology a few years ago to eliminate corrosion in hoses produced by a Vero Beach company. The corrosion could cause the hoses to break under high pressure. Stanford University researchers, who are supported by NASA, used a sealer of sorts, like a coat of paint, that helped slow the corrosion. Solving technical snags Kelley Boone, the Vero Beach plant manager at Parker Hannifin, said NASA scientists are familiar with the sealer, but "it's not a material we would come across in our daily function." Boone, like the Parrotts, learned about the program from his local chamber of commerce. "You kind of had your doubts going in as to how beneficial it would be and how time-consuming it would be," Boone said. He found it wasn't really that difficult, and he would definitely solicit help from NASA if he had another technical problem. The Parrotts said they're already working on another idea they hope the NASA engineers can refine. For right now, however, their focus is getting a patent on their product, the follow-up to a reading machine they released earlier this year. Blind people, even those with cognitive disorders or limited mobility, can use the machine's scanner and keypad connected to a computerized voice that will read to them. Brenda-Ann Gillis, who runs the 20/200 Fellowship in Stuart that houses the Treasure Coast's only version of the machine, says it's been a big hit with her clients, especially because of its ease of use and a voice that uses inflections instead of the standard monotone computerized voice that can be difficult to listen to for long stretches. She thinks Guerilla's commitment to products that afford the blind more independence should be commended and is excited about the yet-to-be announced project the Parrotts are working on with NASA's help. "If they're close to getting done what I think they're getting done," Gillis said, "I'm sure it will be revolutionary and done right." How to apply NASA's Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program offers businesses the opportunity to seek help from its contracted partners or research institutions. Before applying at its Web site -- http://www.spacetechsolutions.com -- companies must meet the following requirements: The project must be focused and task specific. A solution must have been sought within the private sector. The task must be solvable within the 40-hour time frame. A drawing, picture, prototype or patent must be provided (if applicable). -eskovitzj@shns.com GRAPHIC: color photo by Steven R. Martine staff photographer: Guerilla Technologies co-owner Robert Parrott has developed the Extreme Readers machines to assist visually impaired people. The machine incorporates a flatbed scanner and disk readers that input printed pages and text on disk, then converts the text to spoken words, "reading" the input items. "We've made reading machines our core business," says Parrott.