Digital Angel Breakthrough Technology Goes Live

Business Wire,  July 31, 2000  

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

Business Editors/High Tech Writers

PALM BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 31, 2000

Applied Digital Solutions will unveil an operational

prototype of its revolutionary Digital Angel(TM) technology ...

Chairman sees multi-billion dollar market potential via licensing

and services integrated with Web-enabled wireless devices

The prototype ... to be unveiled at an invitation-only, New York City

event this October ... represents a major communications technology

breakthrough -- the first-ever operational combination of

bio-sensor technology and Web-enabled wireless telecommunications

linked to GPS location-tracking systems

Applied Digital Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSX) today announced that it will host a special, invitation-only event in New York City this coming October to demonstrate an operational prototype of its revolutionary "Digital Angel"(TM) technology.

As previously announced, the prototype of the device was to be ready by the end of this year. But Applied Digital's Chairman and CEO, Richard J. Sullivan, said today that the development of the technology had progressed well ahead of schedule.

In his comments announcing the October event, Richard Sullivan stated: "We're extremely heartened by the remarkable progress made by Dr. Peter Zhou and his entire research team, including professors and their associates at Princeton University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. This technology relates directly to the exploding wireless marketplace. We'll be demonstrating for the first time ever that wireless telecommunications systems and bio-sensor devices - capable of measuring and transmitting critical body function data - can be successfully linked together with GPS technology and integrated with the Internet.

"This is a gigantic leap forward, one that also links directly to our Computer Telephony Internet Integration (CTII)(TM) strategic focus. At its heart, Digital Angel involves integrating the very same communications technologies into a working system. We'll soon be ready to move ahead to the production-design phase of Digital Angel geared to specific marketplace applications. The key message right now is this: Digital Angel isn't a blue-sky technology. This is real. Digital Angel breakthrough technology is here. It's live!"

While estimates of Digital Angel's marketplace potential vary, there is little doubt that the technology will enable Applied Digital and its partners to tap into a multi-billion dollar market via various licensing arrangements, Web-enabled wireless services and data transactions handled by Applied Digital's ASP (Application Service Provider) center.

Those attending the event in New York City will see a working, multimedia demonstration of Digital Angel's technological building blocks. A miniature sensor device -- smaller than a grain of rice and equipped with a tiny antenna -- will capture and wirelessly transmit a person's vital body-function data, such as body temperature or pulse, to an Internet-integrated ground station. In addition, the antenna will also receive information regarding the location of the individual from the GPS satellite. Both sets of data -- medical information and location -- will then be wirelessly transmitted to the ground station and made available on Web-enabled desktop, laptop or wireless devices. This demonstration represents the first time these technologies have been united into one functioning system.

The New York City event - at a time, date and location to be announced later -- will feature live presentations from top Applied Digital executives, including Richard Sullivan, Chairman and CEO; Dr. Keith Bolton, Chief Technology Officer; and Dr. Peter Zhou, President and Chief Scientist at Digital Angel.net Inc., Applied Digital's wholly owned subsidiary that has been spearheading the drive to develop Digital Angel. Those attending the event will be a handpicked group of potential joint venture partners, as well as senior-level players in the e-commerce, wireless and Internet industries. Key stock analysts and media representatives will also be invited. Attendees will learn about the history of Digital Angel and its technological underpinnings, along with its many potential applications in the marketplace.

Digital Angel's Dr. Peter Zhou commented: "I'm particularly excited about Digital Angel's ability to save lives by remotely monitoring the medical conditions of at-risk patients and providing emergency rescue units with the person's exact location. I also see great potential for Digital Angel in the area of `location-aware' e-commerce. This is a whole new wireless and Web-enabled frontier in which a purchaser's actual location is integral to making a successful sale or providing a valuable, location-critical service."

Background on Digital Angel(TM)

In December of 1999, Applied Digital Solutions announced that it had acquired the patent rights to a miniature digital transceiver -- which it has named Digital Angel. In some of its applications, the tiny device is expected to be bonded closely to the body or implanted just under the skin. The Company believes Digital Angel will be able to send and receive data and be located by GPS (Global Positioning System) technology. In addition to monitoring the location and medical condition of at-risk patients, the Company believes Digital Angel could have other applications that will prove to be extremely popular in the marketplace. These applications include locating lost or missing individuals or household pets; tracking endangered wildlife; managing livestock and other farm-related animals; pinpointing the location of valuable stolen property; finding lost airline baggage and postal packages; managing the commodity supply chain; preventing the unauthorized use of firearms; and providing a tamper-proof means of identification for enhanced e-commerce security. For more information about Digital Angel, visit http://www.digitalangel.net .