Ohio Company’s $1 Million Investment in Miner Tracking System Expected to Create More Than 40 Jobs
Tuesday, October 07, 2008 - Article #1386
Written by Joe Cogliano II



http://mfrtech.com/articles/1386.html

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(Akron, Ohio) - InSeT Systems will be investing $1 million here to complete development of an underground tracking system for the mining industry, a move expected to create more than 40 jobs over the next three years. Most of the money will go toward software development and tooling so the system can move into production, said Jay Breeding, InSeT’s chief operating officer.

Breeding expects the company to be ready to sell the systems in the next nine to 12 months. The hardware - sensor units worn by miners and relay radios - will be manufactured under contract. InSeT has narrowed its search for a manufacturer to two Ohio companies.

When finished, InSeT’s system will track the precise location of miners in 3-dimensions, constantly transmitting the information to within an accuracy of 10 feet, Breeding said. All of those facets are critical when trying a rescue attempt or drilling to send in air and water to trapped miners.

Breeding said competing technology uses RFID tags, worn by miners, which send signals as they pass designated “reader” spots in a mine. The problem is, with readers placed every 500 to 1500 feet RFID-based systems don’t allow trackers to tell which direction a miner moving or where they are until pass another reader.

In June, Popular Science magazine named InSeT’s system one of the top inventions of 2008. The State of Ohio recently announced an $800,000 innovation fund loan to the company to spur its development project.

Breeding’s cousin, Russell Breeding, is a former nuclear submarine navigator who built the prototype and started the company in 2006. In addition to the Breedings, chief engineer Mike Millam is also an owner. This spring, InSeT Systems secured funding to expand into the Akron Global Business Accelerator.

2006 federal rules mandate the mining industry have tracking systems in place by June 2009, but Jay Breeding says that deadline is likely to be missed because the technology can’t be developed quick enough.

InSeT Systems is set to be featured in the next issue of Inc. magazine, said Jay Breeding. For more information on the company visit http://www.insetsystems.com/.