THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 30, 1996 TAG: 9605300350
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JAMES SCHULTZ, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HAMPTON LENGTH: 74 lines
Twenty years ago, Craig Collier's high school English teacher had nothing but praise for his term paper on the practical benefits of America's space program. Two decades later, Collier and wife and business partner, Ivonne, are hoping they can stay at the top of the class with a computer program known as HyperSizer.
Their 1 1/2-year-old Peninsula company, Collier Research & Development Corp., has become the first to license advanced aerospace software from NASA Langley Research Center. HyperSizer was derived from studies on ``space planes,'' orbital vehicles that could one day take off and land on airport runways. It was developed by Craig Collier during a seven-year stint as a contractor at the Hampton aerospace complex.
The program could eventually be used to vastly improve the design and construction of homes, offices, cargo containers, commercial and military aircraft, rail cars, warships and a host of everyday consumer products.
``This is a very sweet one to me. For several years I've been recommending that we treat software with the same care and nurturance that we treat other intellectual property,'' said Joseph S. Heyman, director of the Langley group that oversees technology transfer. ``It could create jobs, generate wealth and improve the quality of life. That's what we're all about.''
The couple, both engineers, used a series of brightly colored slides and detailed overhead projections to describe HyperSizer during a Wednesday news conference. According to Craig Collier, the program's biggest advantage is its ability to optimize design by suggesting the right materials, as well as appropriate size, shape and thickness.
Weak points and those subjected to the greatest stress can be identified and shored up. With HyperSizer, weight doesn't necessarily equate to strength.
In a recent study for the U.S. Navy, for example, Collier was able to show that by using so-called composite materials, engineers could conceivably carve 440 pounds from the conventional design of a 540-pound cargo container.
All design is done on a computer screen before the first piece of metal or material is cut, allowing engineers to make corrections with the software.
``As an engineer, I want to know where I can take out weight or make (the design) better,'' Craig Collier said. ``It's a matter of minutes versus a matter of days.''
Key to the Colliers' commercialization effort was the Peninsula Advanced Technology Center, a high-tech business incubator that assisted the couple with licensing procedures, a business plan and a commercialization timetable. The Langley tech transfer group managed by NASA's Heyman also pitched in.
Proponents argue that Wednesday's announcement is further proof that commercial spinoffs from NASA labs are increasing in variety and number.
``What this indicates is the change (happening) on the Peninsula,'' Hampton Mayor James Eason said. ``We're going from a defense to a nondefense economy. This kind of announcement shows what we can be in the future.''
The Colliers say they are heading out Friday for a West Coast trip to drum up customers. First up: aerospace firms that may use HyperSizer to analyze high-performance requirements for future aircraft. Closer to home, Langley will also be a regular customer, using the software in its high-speed research program.
Ivonne Collier said she and her husband will keep their company small. They'll continue to consult as software engineers. According to Collier, if HyperSizer does manage to bring in business, Collier Corp. sales could reach $200,000 by year's end.
``The work really begins now. There's no guaranteed sale,'' she said. ``If it's not usable, no one will buy it. It's up to us to advance the technology.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos by Huy Nguyen\The Virginian-Pilot
Husband and wife team Craig and Ivonne Collier unveiled their
software Wednesday at NASA Langley Research Center. At left, the
program identifies high tension areas on a "space plane."
KEYWORDS: AEROSPACE SOFTWARE by CNB