Applied Sciences Group, Inc.

University at Buffalo computer science lecturer Michael Buckley, left, and Kris Schindler, a UB teaching assistant professor, demonstrate a DISCO system used to teach cause and effect to autistic children by using strong sensory feedback. The two men are involved in the UB Center for Socially Relevant Computing at the North Campus in Amherst.

When a locally based engineering and software company saw its manufacturing partners leaving Western New York, it seized an opportunity for innovation.

By Samantha Maziarz-Christmann
News Business Reporter

Edward Glaeser, a Harvard University professor of economics, first raised eyebrows here last fall when he posed the question "Can Buffalo Ever Come Back?"

But what really got folks buzzing was his answer:

"Probably not -- and government should stop bribing people to stay there."

A Cheektowaga technology firm is expanding its focus by marketing specialty devices to people with disabilities.

Applied Sciences Group Inc. (ASG) has partnered with Talker Inc., a spin-off from the University at Buffalo, to market and distribute its communication devices. Its main product, the Talker, is designed to help restore independence to people with speech and motor disabilities.