And their technology, which is way ahead of its time, is ready for prime time because of the sheer growth of the communications revolution. The Science Center is deploying an array of technology that evolved from its military past, technology the company hopes will find its way into everything from cell phones to home PCs. Fresh approach Today, the Science Center, led by director Derek Cheung, is operating under an entirely new business model that its parent implemented a year ago. As I see it, we're spinning off technology, not businesses. That technology includes an olfactory sensor that simulates the sense of smell of a canine.
Prototypes can sniff out landmines, bacteria, chemicals and grains.
Rockwell's augmented-reality technology, which lets a computer superimpose information over reality, has applications limited only by the imagination. But now there's a lot more deliberate effort to deliver value on those latent assets. Another player Rockwell and TRW are, of course, not alone. Hughes, which General Motors Corp. acquired in 1985, began turning its satellite operations into a consumer-oriented business in the early 1990s. Cheung said he hired 94 people last year, boosting the Science Center staff to about 450, almost half of whom hold doctoral degrees.