200-MPH 'CHRISTMAS TREE' BULB

Bivar Infinite-1(TM) LED PAR Lamp.

The Port-A-Tree (www.portatree.com) "Christmas tree" staging light arrays that start high-acceleration drag races are subject to shock loads the equivalent of a "mere" 3.2 Richter scale earthquake, but every two or three minutes. Filaments of incandescent bulbs vibrate and break, so they often need replacing during a race day. The solid state LED lamps do not have a problematic filament and also turn on instantly because there is no inconsistent "warm up" time needed to light-even if it is only hundredths of a second, which can decide a race. With precise starting-light sequencing, no driver is at even the smallest disadvantage off the line. VP, New Business Development:Anthony Vilgiate, [email protected]http://rbi.ims.ca/3848-541

TWIST AND SHOUT (OR IMAGE OR TEXT)

Sony Ericsson S700 Camera Phone.

The 180-degree swiveling possible with the housing of this camera phone allows an optimum form factor for each of three functions. Closed, the front is used to view messages, browse menus, and make calls via a five-way navigation switch or soft keys. Turning over the phone allows digital camera functions with a form factor that permits a steady, two-handed grip. Swiveling open the case accesses a keypad for "texting" and e-mails. Industrial Designer:Chris Collins, [email protected]http://rbi.ims.ca/3848-542

LOW COST, HIGH PERFORMANCE REFLECTOR

OPTRA Plastic Injection Molded Retroreflector Array.

Engineers traded off manufacturing tolerances and cost with long-distance performance to come up with this low cost retroreflector array for open path spectrometers-used to detect indoor airborne pollutants or chemicals. The array is for use at distances of less than 50m. A patent-pending compression injection-molding technique tightens tolerances on the molded reflector. Each tricorner reflecting aperture of the array is smaller than conventional glass arrays that use larger apertures to control fabrication costs. The smaller apertures have a higher signal-to-noise ratio for the reflected light, making up for the looser tolerances of the molded array compared to the glass ones. Other uses include surveying applications. Project Development Engineer:Dave Mansur, [email protected]http://rbi.ims.ca/3848-543