Seeing Machines Regulatory News (SEE)

7 May 2008 08:08

Seeing Machines Limited07 May 2008 7 May 2008 Seeing Machines Limited ("Seeing Machines" or the "Company") SEEING MACHINES ESTABLISHES NORTH AMERICAN OPERATION Seeing Machines (AIM: SEE), a leading developer of advanced computer-basedimaging software systems, announces that it has established an operation inNorth America with the incorporation of a US subsidiary Seeing Machines, Inc.and the appointment of Mr Dean Croke as Vice President, North AmericanAutomotive Business. The North American office has been established to enable the Company to morereadily pursue commercial opportunities in this region particularly for theDriver State Sensor (DSS) product and also to better support it's North Americancustomers. The US presence will also be of benefit for the faceLAB(R) and thefaceAPI businesses as these products are sold extensively into the NorthAmerican markets. Mr Croke has significant experience in the commercial transportation sector bothin North America and Australia. Mr Croke is a specialist in and recognizedinternationally in the fields of: • fatigue management with expert knowledge of sleep science; • fatigue risk management and human performance; • insurance and risk management in the commercial transport sector; • business intelligence including predictive modelling technologies in commercial transportation; Prior to joining Seeing Machines Mr Croke was Senior Vice President and ChiefProduct Architect for FleetRisk Advisors where he directed the company'sBusiness Intelligence consulting activities. Prior to this he held severalinsurance industry roles in the US and Australia and from 1996 to 1999 he wasGeneral Manager of the Australian Trucking Association. Dr Nick Cerneaz, CEO of Seeing Machines commenting on the establishment of theUS operation and the appointment of Mr Croke said: "Dean is an outstandingaddition to the Seeing Machines team and he will enable us to really moveforward with our commercialisation efforts in North America and for the DSS inparticular. He is the perfect fit for the role given his wide experience andstanding in the commercial transport sector with regards fatigue and riskmanagement. The North American operation further formalizes our long standingbusiness activities in the region which commenced in 2001. In addition toaccelerating the significant commercialization opportunities across our completerange of products this new office will also provide enhanced support servicesfor our existing customers. We are very excited about this development and lookforward to meeting the expanded opportunities in this region." Further information about Seeing Machines can be obtained from the Company website: www.seeingmachines.com. --- ENDS --- Enquiries: Seeing Machines Limited Grant Thornton Corporate Finance Parkgreen CommunicationsNick Cerneaz, CEO Fiona Owen Justine Howarth+61 (0) 2 6125 6501 +44 (0) 20 7383 5100 +44 (0) 20 7851 7480www.seeingmachines.com Notes to editors: About Seeing Machines Seeing Machines is an award winning Technology Company which focuses on visionbased human machine interfaces. Formed in 2000 in Canberra, Australia, SeeingMachines' purpose is to commercialise its computer-vision across a range ofindustries and applications. Seeing Machines deliver advanced computer vision solutions for researches anddevelopers in human factors, transportation safety, computer human interaction,robotics, medical research and psychology. The flagship product faceLAB(R)provides an automated and contact-free gaze and head tracking technology, itsolves the problem of observing human behaviour naturally, non-intrusively andwith a high degree of accuracy and usability. Building on these unique facetracking and pupil measurement and monitoring capabilities, the TrueFieldAnalyzer(R) is new medical device to assist clinicians detect and manage eyediseases such as glaucoma. The TrueField Analyzer(R) offers a new objective method to help doctors diagnoseand manage a range of eye diseases including glaucoma, age related maculardegeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Glaucoma affects about 2-3% of thepopulation over 40 years of age and is a leading source of blindness. Unlikemost other devices available to the clinician the TrueField Analyzer is acompletely objective test and it is quick and easy for patients and techniciansalike. The device measures both eyes concurrently and due to the reliabilitythat arises from the objective nature of the test, it has the potential tobecome a new standard in the measurement of visual field defects and thus in thediagnosis and management of disease such as glaucoma. More generally Seeing Machines' computer vision systems are able to measure theorientation and position of a human head, estimate eye-gaze direction, detecteye blinks and track other facial features. This functionality is achievedentirely though visual means, using video cameras connected to advanced imageprocessing software, with no attachments required on the subject. Products suchas faceLAB(R) are designed to allow human factors researchers and designers toassess the interaction of an operator in an environment and this findsapplication in designing operator environments, such as cockpits for cars,trucks, trains, and aeroplanes for instance, and other industrial designapplications, as well as medical and psychological research situations. Thetechnology has been developed into the Driver State Sensor (DSS2) product forapplication in monitoring vehicle drivers and if it detects drowsiness (fatigue)or that the driver is distracted and their attention has been diverted from theroad, alarms are raised to alert the driver to these events. In largerdeployments, such as in fleet and mining equipment operations, the data isavailable in both real-time and off-line modes for fleet management, drivertraining and awareness programs The systems work in real-time, enabling the behaviour of subjects to be trackedin real-time. This technology is paving the way in promoting safer drivingconditions and works to enhance the driving experience and to eliminateaccidents caused through driver drowsiness or distraction. There are many different sectors that can benefit from this revolutionarysoftware, for which it has been developed, including: automotive; academicresearch; medicine/healthcare; defence; autostereoscopy (next generationdisplays); sport; and games. www.seeingmachines.com This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange