Special copper paint silences cellphones

From: <reginal..._at_hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 12:09:57 -0700

"Special copper paint silences cellphones

System may be popular with schools, theatres

By Mary Vallis

Theatre managers and school principles may soon be able to block
cellphone signals at the flip of a switch, thanks to a new high-tech
paint developed by a New York state company.

NaturalNano, a Rochester, N.Y.-based firm specializing in
nanotechnology, is infusing paint with copper molecules. When sprayed
on walls, it becomes a shield that blocks radio waves.

A two-part antenna would act as a powerful radio filtering device to
allow signals to penetrate the shield at designated times.

The paint system, which is still in development, could be the next
frontier in enforceing cellphone etiquette. Theatre owners could fight
back against patrons who insist on taking calls during shows.
Businesspeople who compulsively check their BlackBerries every two
minutes would be forced to wait until intermission.

'If you are a school superintendent and you'd like to prevent the kids
from using their cellphones during class time - which they do - then
you could do that,' said Robert Crowley, president of AMBIT Corp.,
which developed the radio filtering device licensed by NaturalNano.

'And then, during a break, you could switch the system back on. You
could let the cellphone signals come through.'

The system could also work selectively by allowing one cellphone user
access to a signal while blocking another. (Emergency radio
communications could always pass through.)

The system is not merely designed to be altruistic by preventing
cellphone interruptions. Companies that use the technology could charge
patrons a fee for wireless access while under their shields.

According to the Canadian Wireless Telecommunication Association
(CWTA), more than half of Canadians have wireless telephones.

Many Canadian high schools ban their use during class and movie
theatres ask patrons to turn off their wireless devices before the
feature begins. But there always seems to be someone who forgets or
flouts the rules.

Mr. Crowley, an inventor who is also developing an inflatable keyboard,
said the paint system is ideal for controlling wireless used in shared
spaces. He recently heard from a pastor frustrated by cellphones
interrupting his sermons.

'He was almost in tears,' Mr. Crowley said. 'They were going through
the service on Sunday morning and this cellphone rings - it was a
ringtone of a song from the Seventies. The parishoner took the call and
actually talked on the phone during the service.'

After the conversation ended, he hung up and sat in his pew as though
nothing had happended.

NaturalNano has also been contacted by school districts and aviation
companies.

NaturalNano expects it to hit the market as early as next year.

Cellphone jamming devices are illegal in the United States and Canada.
But Michael Riedlinger, NaturalNano's president, said his paint is most
likely legal.

'The paint itself would be a passive shield - in other words, it does
not actively jam radio frequency signals," he said from Germany
yesterday. 'It creates a passive block for them.'

Canada's Radiocommunication Act prohibits anyone from interfering or
obstructing any radiocommunication, an offence punishable by up to a
year in jail or a $25,000 fine for a company.

Amy Nidzgorski, a program officer with Industry Canada, said the
department would have to take a close look at the system's technical
details and how it would be put into place to determine whether the
legislation would apply.

National Post
mva..._at_nationalpost.com"
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The End
Reg Curtis - VE9RWC
Received on Sat Mar 02 2024 - 00:57:24 CST