New and Notable Product Design

Ergo mus

Xerox Ergonomic Mouse. Take two engineers, who are guitarists, add a case of tendonitis the next day at work, and the result is an ergonomic mouse to mitigate Mouse-Arm Syndrome. One, Jim Reid, is also a chiropractor and the other, Dale Boudreau, is using the device. By using ergonomic engineering, "The design puts the finger into a more relaxed curled position and the mouse "floats" under the hand rather than being gripped by it," notes Reid. A less stressful finger curling motion, as opposed to pressing down, activates the switch clicks and a "fin" between the fingers provides tracking (positioning) cues. Xerox is looking to license the technology. Lead Engineer: Jim Reid, (www.xeroxtechnology.com) Enter 690

You'll get a charge out of this

iSun™ Portable Solar Charger. Engineers at ICP Global Technologies thought they had a bright idea for a new solar device to charge the batteries in cell phones. But before they put mouse to screen they asked potential customers if they'd use it. You bet, they said, but make it work for PDAs and laptops too. Good thing the engineers checked. They revised their SolidWorks and AutoCAD models and produced the iSun, which connects to any cell phone, PDA, or GPS device directly or using optional product-specific cables. To charge a laptop, daisy-chain several iSuns together. What separates this device from similar products, says Chief Technology Officer Po K. Lau, is the way engineers encapsulated the solar cells to keep them from oxidizing. They use a special, clear epoxy from a Japanese supplier and cure it slowly in a proprietary process. Lau says the 7.2 x 4.5 x 1.25-inch device puts out about 2 watts of power, 50% more than competitive chargers. Lead engineer: Po K. Lau (plau@icpglobal.com) Enter 691

No tip lift

Jungheinrich Lift Truck EFG-DF. A Curve Speed Reduction System prevents the Electric Three-wheel Counterbalance Fork Lift Truck (EFG-DF) from tipping. President Dirk von Holt notes that, "Sensors tailer the centrifugal force on the operator and load to keep it at a safe level." Based on sensor input that also includes steering angle, load height, and speed, the microprocessor-based system will adjust speed or activate an electronic brake to safely negotiate a turn. The truck can handle loads up to 4,000 lbs at speeds of 10 mph. There are five operating modes that allow operators to adjust acceleration, braking, travel, and lift, and lower speeds to the task. The tip prevention system functions independently of the selected mode. President Dirk von Holt (www.jungheinrich.com) Enter 692

3d in your hand

Sharp 3D Phone. Imagine seeing in 3D, without the glasses—and on your cell phone no less. The Sharp camera phone uses a 3D display to provide a sense of depth and presence. The phone features an occlusion filter - for no-glasses 3D. "The display works by generating right eye and left eye information to alternative columns of a TFT LCD [display matrix]," says Joel Pollack, vice president of the display business unit, Sharp. "The brain combines these two images to give the impression of a 3D object." VP: Joel Pollack (www.sle.sharp.co.uk/research/3d/3dprimer.htm) Enter 693

tank doesn't fuel around

TI Automotive PERMBLOK®AS6 Gas Tank. Made from six layers of materials, including barrier materials ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) and chemical company ATOFINA's ORGALLOY® FT104 nylon-based alloy, this tank meets California's stringent Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (PZEV) requirements. Incorporating the barriers was key to meeting limits covering fuel permeation (emissions from the tank), according to Pierre Delbarre, global director of materials and innovations. In addition, the tank structure had to meet crash-test safety standards. The tank is built like a ship in a bottle, enclosing pumps, sensors, and other components, to reduce possible vapor exit points. The non-corroding plastic can hold different types of fuels, including alcohols. Director: Pierre Delbarre, (www.tiautomotive.com) Enter 694

Tame TV volume

TERK Technologies TV Volume Regulator (VR-1). Set and forget the volume of your TV set and kill the excessive volume of commercials. It's made possible by Octiv's Volume Logic software, which applies only the appropriate amount of processing to any audio source material. TERK's Program Manager, John Francia says, "Volume Logic enables digital re-mastering in real-time by sampling thousands of times a second to produce consistent loudness and sound quality." So no matter what you're watching, you'll hear a uniform, quality audio level for more intelligible dialog and reduced sound effects without having to adjust the volume—a great asset for the hearing impaired. Program Manager: John Francia (www.terk.com) Enter 695