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Prairie Virtual Systems Corp. (Chicago, Ill.) has developed a barrier-free design virtual reality system that checks building access. The system, which helps designers meet the requirements of the American with Disabilities Act, assists in the design of interiors that are accessible and safe. It allows users to travel through a virtual world that simulates a proposed interior environment. United Technologies Corp. (Hartford, Conn.) has developed intelligent maintenance aiding technology to reduce operation and support costs and increase the availability of complex equipment, systems and processes. The company is applying AI and expert systems technology in the development, manufacture and support of products using a patented AI technique called qualitative reasoning, which compares faulty operations to knowledge about how a system normally operates.