Success in securing grant funds for wearable computing technologies represents the next phase in Xybernaut's strategy to bring more affordable and more powerful tools to educators. Together with Team Xybernaut channel members focused on education, Xybernaut is working with school administrators to secure funding from various sources -- state, Federal and private organizations. This expertise is being refined and replicated so that educators throughout the United States can acquire Xybernaut solutions.

Xybernaut technologies for special, standard and gifted educational programs are presently being used successfully by other educational institutions including the University of Maryland's Technology Outreach Program, Queen Anne's County (MD) Public Schools and Alexandria (VA) Country Day School.

XyberKids is a full desktop-equivalent wearable computer platform based on Xybernaut's Mobile Assistant® (MA® V product. XyberKids integrates a variety of educational applications such as speech/handwriting recognition and peripheral devices. XyberKids brings the power of a desktop computer to a wearable package that assists teachers and children both in and out of the classroom.

Coventry (Ohio) Local School District, located near Akron, OH, was one of the first school districts to deploy the product. Coventry worked with Xybernaut for more than six months to expand and focus the applicability of XyberKids in the classroom -- most notably in programs that concentrate on children with autism, cerebral palsy, and physical disabilities.

According to research conducted by the U.S. Government's Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Program, more than 6.4 million children have disabilities.

"Over the past year, we've extended our initial pilot program based on the positive results that have been achieved with the Xybernaut wearable computers," said Jeanne Gides, director of special services with Coventry School District. "XyberKids is more than a cost-effective platform.

XyberKids is based on open standards so the most common applications run out-of-the-box without any custom programming. Utilizing the platform's flexibility, we now see many applications for XyberKids that are covered by state, or Federal or private foundation grants."

Coventry employs XyberKids as an assistive technology device, which has become a critical component of an interdisciplinary approach to educating students with disabilities.

XyberKids is used to aid students in a variety of tasks including written expression, conversion of text and pictures into structured speech, supplemental communication through audio output devices, augmentation for study habits and enhancement of organizational skills.

"Our efforts in developing the XyberKids platform has been tremendously successful in helping many children with disabilities," said Edward G. Newman, president of Xybernaut.

"The business challenge is to secure funding to allow parents and teachers to obtain XyberKids for their children in need. The grants obtained at Coventry indicate that this challenge can readily be met. As we replicate the success of XyberKids and related funding, we are confident that we can help a growing number of children."

The basic XyberKids solution starts at $4,995 and is available from Xybernaut and Team Xybernaut resellers.

XyberKids consists of Xybernaut's MA V wearable computing platform, software, and peripherals supporting networked and/or wireless (such as 802.11B or cellular) Internet access just as one would experience with a standard laptop or desktop PC.

For more information about Xybernaut, please log on at: www.xybernaut.com.