Archinoetics Turns 5
March 2010
Archinoetics celebrates its 5th anniversary this month! In March 2005, the company began with six employees as a spinoff from another Hawaii tech company. With over 30 employees and projects in a variety of technical disciplines, Archinoetics is thriving, contributing to the community, and continuing to expand.

Project Niu Goes to Waiau Elementary School
November 13, 2009
Archinoetics, in partnership with isisHawaii, has been going to elementary and middle schools around Oahu for the past few years teaching science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in an ocean-related context. The classes are part of Project Niu, our educational outreach activity sponsored by NOAA. Check out photos and the story from our recent trip to Waiau Elementary School in Pearly City. Photos and Story

Tracking Roz Savage Rowing the Pacific
May 27, 2009
Archinoetics has developed the RozTracker a web application that tracks Roz Savage as she attempts to become the first woman to row solo across the Pacific Ocean. She arrived in Honolulu in September 2008 and left on May 25, 2009 heading into the South Pacific. Leveraging technologies it developed for Project Niu, Archinoetics added the ability for Roz to post social media to the map while integrating data from her GPS system. With the tracking system, Roz can send updates to Twitter, Blogger, Flickr, podcasts, and YouTube just by sending an email. Archinoetics also developed a Facebook app, an iPhone app, and a gadget that can be embedded in iGoogle or any other webpage.

Additionally, Roz is carrying a Niu device on her boat, which she plans to deploy into the ocean when she crosses the equator. More information on that Niu will be announced in an upcoming press release.

Project Niu in NSTA Magazine
April 17, 2009
The National Science Teachers Association recently published a story on Project Niu in its monthly magazine. Read the story

Company named a 'Top Woman-owned Business'
April 9, 2009
Pacific Business News has named Archinoetics as one of Hawaii's 'Top 35 Women-owned Businesses'. At the awards ceremony, held at the Hawaii Convention Center, it was announced that Archinoetics is now the 16th ranked woman-owned business in Hawaii in terms of revenue. This ranking for 2008 represents a tremendous jump for the company, which was not listed in the top 35 for 2007.

Archinoetics on Virginia radio's 'With Good Reason'
April 2009
Dr. Dennis Proffitt, a long-time collaborator of Archinoetics, was recently on Virginia radio's 'With Good Reason' to discuss brain-computer interfaces for creative expression. The work, being done through a National Science Foundation grant, is providing interfaces for severely disabled people to communicate and create artwork. To hear the program and read more, please see the With Good Reason website.

Archinoetics wins 'Hawaii SmallBiz Success Award'
February 2009
Archinoetics was recognizes by Hawaii Business Magazine as a statewide leader in small business success. Traci and Hunter Downs accepted the award from Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona. Read more about the award.

Project Niu launches three ocean drifters
January 30, 2009
Project Niu is an outreach effort by Archinoetics to teach K-12 students about science, technology, and environmental stewardship in the context of the ocean and marine debris. Archinoetics built three ocean drifter buoys and joined 150 students to deploy them near Hawaii Kai. Please read more about Project Niu and track the Niu devices.

Archinoetics volunteers for holiday toy drive
December 2008
Archinoetics has always been dedicated to giving back to the community, and this holiday season is no exception. More than half the company spent a day at a local warehouse organizing toys for the Lokahi Giving Project, an organization that helps Hawaii's struggling families.

Archinoetics reaches 30 people
November 2008
Since its formation in 2005, Archinoetics has grown significantly, adding talented and experienced members to its team. Less than four years later, the company has reached 30 people and has a number of new and exciting projects.

Archinoetics on Hawaii Public Radio
October 22, 2008
Archinoetics' Hunter Downs and Erin Nishimura appeared on Hawaii Public Radio's Bytemarks Cafe, which highlights local high tech businesses. Listen to the podcast.

Fatigue Science works with NHL hockey team
September 2008
Professional athletes need every advantage they can get to compete at their maximum level, but they cannot overlook the importance of a good night's sleep. Unfortunately, road trips can causes serious jetlag and hurt a player's performance. The NHL hockey team the Vancouver Canucks decided to use science and technology to address this concern. Archinoetics subsidiary company Fatigue Science used its scientifically validated methods to help the Canucks in this effort. Read the article from 'The Province'.

Brain Painting featured in UVA Today
August 8, 2008
Archinoetics' long-time collaborator Dr. Dennis Proffitt of the University of Virginia was recently interviewed on the team's brain-computer interface (BCI) work with Hawaii artist Peggy Chun. Read more about Brain Painting.

Adobe Education releases Project Niu documentary
August 2008
Just a few months before we launched the first Niu from Waimea Bay (5/8/2008), the Project Niu team began an exciting collaboration with the K-12 Education team at Adobe Systems Inc. (You all know Adobe as the makers of awesome software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, etc.) Adobe was interested in using movies and photos about Project Niu as part of their demonstration to educators as to how Adobe's software can be used in schools. Lead by John Schuman (Worldwide Education Solutions Architect), Adobe's creative team brought on an incredible film crew from eMotion Studios to help make Project Niu shine. Read more about Adobe and Project Niu.

UH Manoa GEAR UP STEM Enrichment Day
July 2008
Archinoetics worked with isisHawaii to teach local middle school students about computer programming and animation. Using the Alice software platform (created at Carnegie Mellon by Randy Pausch and his team), the students learned how programming concepts work while telling a story through the medium of animation. See photos from the day.

Project Niu launches first ocean drifter
May 8, 2008
Archinoetics successfully launched its first 'Niu' ocean drifter device from Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu. The buoy, which simulates marine debris, teaches students about ocean currents, satellite technologies, and the importance of environmental stewardship for protecting the watersheds and oceans. Learn more about Project Niu.

Traci Downs named a finalist for Businesswoman of the Year
April 17, 2008
Archinoetics' COO and Principal Owner Traci Downs was recognized by the Pacific Business News as a finalist for the 2008 Businesswoman of the Year. Congratulations on this great accomplishment!

John Caldwell interviewed on pilot fatigue
February 2008
After a flight between Honolulu and Hilo, Hawaii passed over its destination, there was concern that fatigue could have been a factor in the pilots' error. Archinoetics' in-house expert on fatigue in aviation, Dr. John Caldwell, joined Honolulu's NBC affiliate, KGMB, to discuss the importance of a well-rested pilot. To learn more about Archinoetics' subsidiary company that addresses the risks caused by fatigue in the workplace, please visit the Fatigue Science homepage.

Archinoetics teams with 'The Mission Continues'
February 2008
Archinoetics is now working with 'The Mission Continues', a national non-profit organization that helps disabled veterans to continue serving their country by giving back in the community. As part of the program, Archinoetics has provided an internship position to a veteran who suffered a traumatic brain injury. The gentleman will serve as a 'subject matter expert' in advising Archinoetics on its assistive technologies. Additionally, he will gain on-the-job training in engineering, an area of interest to him.

Functional brain imaging research gets worldwide attention
February 2008
Archinoetics is currently developing 'Brain Painting' applications that allows people to paint on a digital canvas using only their thoughts. This is part of research conducted under a National Science Foundation grant to create brain-computer interfaces. Recently, this work was featured at the University of Virginia in Oscar as well as in India in the Mumbai Mirror.

Archinoetics celebrates another year of success
December 2007
In 2007, Archinoetics expanded its team, won competitive contracts and grants, and presented its research at international conferences. The company broadened and augmented its areas of expertise through new employees as well as new contracts. To celebrate a succesful 2007, Archinoetics held its third annual holiday party on a sunset sailing trip off the west coast of Oahu.

Expert in Fatigue Management Joins Archinoetics
November 2007
Dr. John Caldwell recently joined Archinoetics as a senior scientist and is a leader in the field of fatigue management.
Before coming to Archinoetics, Dr. Caldwell was at the U.S. Air Force where he conducted research, training, and consultations designed to enhance and sustain the effectiveness of the operational aviation community. He is a fatigue-management consultant for United Airlines, NASA, the Army, the Air Force, and the Marines. Read more about Dr. John Caldwell.

Expert in Physiological Signals Analysis Joins Archinoetics
Novemeber 2007
Dr. Chris Russell recently joined Archinoetics as a senior scientist. He has over 25 years of military research experience. He has seventeen years of experience in the conception, design and execution of exploratory development research to evaluate interface design concepts. Over the last twelve years, he planned and designed data processing and intelligent algorithm development using stochastic estimation, signal processing, pattern classification and spectral analysis approaches for operator functional state in complex AF operator workstations at the Air Force Research Laboratory. Read more about Dr. Chris Russell.

Archinoetics wins prestigious Tibbetts Award
October 2007
These prestigious, national awards are made annually to those small firms, projects, organizations and individuals judged to exemplify the very best in SBIR achievement. The emphasis is on recognizing those accomplishments where, in the judgment of those closely involved and often most immediately affected, the stimulus of SBIR funding has made an important and definable difference. Archinoetics will be given the 2007 Tibbetts Award at the award ceremony in Washington, DC on October 10, 2007.

Hunter Downs wins 'Top High Tech Leader' award
October 2007
Archinoetics Chief Science Officer Hunter Downs was recognized in the 7th annual 'Flavors of Technology' ceremony for being one of Hawaii's 'Top 40 High Tech Leaders'. Says Dr. Downs, 'I think the key to the growth of Hawaii's technology industry is to promote entry into the industry by young adults / students; impassion them to innovate with new ideas; and then to train them to identify development opportunities for those ideas.'

New grant with NOAA's B-WET program
October 2007
Project will involve extensive collaboration with a local middle school to give sixth-grade students a hands-on experience with the use of technology in monitoring the environment. The project will teach students about the importance of being responsible stewards of the environment.

Company adds to its team
September 2007
After recent hires, Archinoetics has more than doubled in size since 2005. Recent additions to the team will help expand Archinoetics' capabilities in scientific research and business expansion. Chief Operating Officer Dr. Traci Downs indicates that 2008 will bring additional hires as Archinoetics expands commercialization efforts through subsidiaries or with strategic partners.

Members of Congress visit Archinoetics
August 2007
Senator Akaka, Congressman Abercrombie, and Congresswoman Hirono toured Archinoetics' office and learned about various research and development projects. Click on the photo below to enlarge it.

New NSF grant for brain-computer interfaces
July 2007
Archinoetics was notified that it has won a National Science Foundation grant in collaboration with the University of Virginia and Georgia Tech. The focus of the work will be on developing unique brain-computer interfaces for those with severe paralysis and disabilities, such as that resulting from ALS.

Team publishes three papers at HCII 2007
July 2007
Several members of the Archinoetics team went to Beijing, China to present three papers at the Human-Computer Interaction International (HCII) conference. Archinoetics' presented its functional brain imaging research in the Augmented Cognition track of the conference as well as in other areas.

Tour for high school students
June 2007
Archinoetics showed off its work to a group of local high school students interested in pursuing higher education in science and technology.

Summer internships
May 2007
Archinoetics welcomes four college and high school interns for the summer, including two students who are returning for their second summer with Archinoetics.

Archinoetics makes donation for student artists in Hawaii
May 2007
Archinoetics' donation will help the Congressional Arts Competition in Hawaii give awards to students who have demonstrated creative talents.

Archinoetics at the Hawaii State Capitol
April 2007
Archinoetics took part in Science and Tech Day at the Hawaii State Capitol, explaining its technologies to Hawaii's elected officials.

Archinoetics turns two
March 2007
In its first two years later, Archinoetics has expanded its staff and explored new areas of research and development.

SBIR award from DARPA
January 2007
Archinoetics has been awarded an SBIR from DARPA and the US Army Aviation and Missile Command to develop a system (called F-PAS) for intelligently automating the steps in designing reprogrammable hardware.

Award for developing physiologic system interfaces
January 2007
Archinoetics has received funding from TATRC (US Army Medical Research and Material Command) through the Pacific Telehealth Hui. The goal of this research is to demonstrate the potential performance increase when operators' physiologic signals are incorporated as an integral part of their interface to a computer or system

Archinoetics launches Sleep Performance Inc.
January 2007
Sleep Performance Inc. offers products and services that assist individuals and companies in analyzing the impact of sleep problems and fatigue on performance.

HTDV award for harbor monitoring system
October 2006
Archinoetics has won an award from the Hawaii Technology Development Venture (HTDV) to pursue research on applying intelligent algorithmns for surveillance of ports and harbors.

Phase II SBIR awarded for GLOC prediction
September 2006
Archinoetics was notified that it has won a Phase II SBIR award from the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). The new funding will enable Archinoetics to continue its work on developing a system to predict GLOC and ALOC in pilots performing high-G maneuvers.

Traci Downs appears on 'High Tech Hawaii' TV show
September 2006
Dr. Downs (at center in photo below) appeared on the University of Hawaii's monthly television live call-in show, 'High Tech Hawaii', to discuss the research and development at Archinoetics. The topic of the month was 'Advancing Hawaii's High Tech Industry'.

Archinoetics on MSNBC and in Pacific Business News
July 2006
This week Archinoetics was the focus of a full page feature in the Pacific Business News. The article, which is also included on MSNBC.com, highlights Archinoetics' focus on creativity as its strategy for success in the high tech industry. The printed version (PDF) of the article contains photos not present online.

Traci Downs wins the 'Forty Under 40' award
June 2006
Traci H. Downs, Ph.D. (Archinoetics' Chief Operating Officer and Principal Owner) has been awarded this year's Pacific Business News 'Forty Under 40' award for the best business leaders in Hawaii under the age of 40. The award ceremony is to be held on June 22nd at the Hawaii Convention Center. More information and registration for this event can be found at the PBN website.

Archinoetics moves into a new, larger office
May 2006
Archinoetics' success during its first year in business has enabled it to more than double in size from its original six employees. Because of this growth, the company recently moved to a new, larger office in the Topa Financial Center on Bishop Street. The new space, which overlooks Aloha Tower and the Pacific Ocean, has exciting features including a custom-designed electrical engineering lab, a technology testing room, and improved conference facilities.

Archinoetics markets Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool (FAST)
February 2006
FAST is a software decision aid designed to assess and forecast performance changes induced by sleep restriction and time of day. This information is intended to help managers and individuals design work and sleep schedules that will reduce the risk of fatigue and fatigue induced errors. FAST is a patented technology that Archinoetics markets under an exclusive license.
FAST Homepage

Archinoetics wins ONR SBIR
January 2006
Archinoetics was just informed that it has received a Phase I SBIR from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to develop a field-deployable network of medical intelligence gathering and diagnostic assistance. The project will be performed in collaboration with two other Hawaii-based companies: Akimeka and Referentia.

Exhibition at TechNet Asia-Pacific
December 2005
Archinoetics joined the Hawaii Technology Development Venture (HTDV) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) at their exhibit booth at the TechNet Asia-Pacific conference in Waikiki.

Feature in Scientific American Mind
October 2005
Archinoetics has collaborated with Microsoft Research to build brain computer interfaces and assess the cognitive state of a user. An article in Scientific American Mind (Volume 16, Number 3) highlights this work.
Read Article (PDF)

Archinoetics wins DARPA SBIR
September 2005
Archinoetics was just informed that it has received a DARPA Phase I SBIR to develop an evolutionary and neurobiologically inspired computational platform for autonomous vehicle control. The contract is $100K for a six-month effort.

Archinoetics Wins National Science Foundation Grant
August 2005
Archinoetics has been awarded a grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop environmental control systems for the disabled using its functional brain imaging, OTIS. The work will be performed in collaboration with research teams at the University of Virginia and Georgia Tech.

HCII & Augmented Cognition Conferences
July 2005
The Archinoetics team demonstrated the capabilities of its OTIS system at the HCI International and Augmented Cognition conferences at Caeser's Palace in Las Vegas. OTIS, an fNIR system for real-time functional brain imaging, was used in a closed-loop system designed with the University of Virginia and Carnegie Mellon University to improve human performance while multitasking through scheduling tasks based on the cognitive state of the user. Additionally, Archinoetics gave talks in two sessions discussing the unique hardware design of the OTIS system as well as its capability for use in a brain-computer interface system.

Archinoetics Wins Two New Contracts
July 2005
Archinoetics received two contracts totaling $41,282, matching just under $200,000 in grants from the U.S. Department of Defense.

Archimedes / WIT Summer College Internship Pilot
July 2005
Archinoetics is partnering with the Archimedes Hawaii Project and the Women in Technology (WIT) Project, Oahu Division, to provide valuable real-world experience to college interns in the fields of electrical and computer engineering.
Read Article | Update

HTDV / ONR Tech Enterprise 2005
June 2005
Archinoetics presented its research on fatigue and performance modeling using genetic programming at this conference for high tech companies in Hawaii.

New Firm Researches Human Performance
April 2005
Read Article (PDF)

Technology Expo
March 2005
Archinoetics was featured on Hawaii's KHON Evening News for our booth at the RoadRunner Technology and Internet Expo. Our presentation featured our robot 'Archibot Brain', who helped relay our message tirelessly all day long.

Boeing Frontiers: A New Kind of Thinking Cap
October 2004
Boeing Phantom Works Augmented Cognition group was featured in the Boeing news. Our OTIS fNIR system is shown off here with project manager Rich Edwards.
Read Article (PDF)

DARPA SBIR Win
April 2003
Human System receives a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a wireless version of its OTIS functional brain imaging sensor.

Thought Technology More Than a Brainstorm
October 2002
Read Article (PDF)

DARPA SBIR Win
October 2002
Human Systems wins a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to pursue research investigating the potential for using human brain activity monitoring to detect cognitively significant events during the performance of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) tasks.