astronics max-viz is an american company founded in portland , oregon on may 31 , 2001 as max-viz , inc. to design , manufacture and certify enhanced vision systems ( “ evs ” ) primarily for use in the aerospace industry .

max-viz evs devices present real-time images of the external environment on aircraft cockpit monitors to improve pilot situational awareness under circumstances where visibility is impaired by weather or darkness .

the company objective is to help the pilot see clearly and fly safely by providing visual information about where they are , where they are going and what is in their way .

the max-viz evs captures and enhances thermal infrared signals and can be combined with visible light as well as other electromagnetic energy sources .

the company 's systems are designed to be integrated with a variety of displays already in the aircraft cockpit .

astronics max - viz

astronics max - viz , a division of astronics corp . , was awarded certification for its max - viz 1200 enha . . .
max - viz is a private company . max - viz has been a subsidiary of astronics corp . since aug 2012 .
astronics has achieved certification for its max - viz 2300 enhanced - vision system .
astronics corporation acquires enhanced vision systems provider max - viz , inc . | business wire
for more information on astronics and its products , visit www . astronics . com .
the astronics max - viz infrared enhanced vision system offers cessna flyers a new level of situational awareness .
astronics ' ticker symbol is atro . astronics common stock is traded on the . . .
for the study , astronics is providing its max - viz 1500 and 2300 enhanced vision systems to the faa for integration into the agency’s sikorsky s - 76 testbed . “the astronics max - viz evs sensors will be used in flight tests and data acquisition for evs and efvs implementation , ” said astronics max - viz manager of sales and business development dale farr .
“astronics is very pleased to provide both a max - viz 1500 and a max - viz 2300 enhanced vision system ( evs ) to the faa for integration onto its sikorsky s - 76 medium - size commercial utility helicopter test aircraft for this study , ” said astronics max - viz’s dale farr , manager of sales and business development . “the astronics max - viz evs sensors will be used in flight tests and data acquisition for evs and efvs implementation , ” he added .
astronics is providing its max - viz 1500 and 2300 enhanced vision systems to the faa for integration into the agency’s sikorsky s - 76 testbed to evaluate the effectiveness of enhanced flight vision systems technology for helicopter flight safety and operations . ( photo : astronics max - viz )
the bigger advantage is what it says about max - viz and its potential .
owler has collected 13 screenshots of max - viz ' s website since may 2014 . the latest max - viz website design screenshot was captured in sep 2017 .
simplex® aerospace announced it has reached an agreement with astronics corporation ( nasdaq : atro ) to install the max - viz enhanced vision system ( evs ) on simplex® aerospace skycannon™ and fire attack™ systems . the astronics max - viz evs will be installed as standard equipment on the skycannon™ . simplex® is provisioning for the max - viz system on all newly designed systems and… read more »
bell helicopter has worked with astronics corporation to help integrate the max - viz - 1500 enhanced vision system as an option for new bell 429s as well as for retrofit installations . astronics corporation ( nasdaq : atro ) is a leader in providing advanced technologies for the global aerospace and defense industries . astronics’ max - viz - 1500 enhanced vision system ( evs ) permits pilots to… read more »
the owler community has estimated the number of employees of max - viz to be one .
astronics expects the acquisition to be slightly accretive in 2012 . kippsdesanto & co . acted as exclusive financial advisor to max - viz , inc . on this transaction .
the owler community has estimated the revenue of max - viz to be less than $ 1m .
for more information on astronics and its products , visit its website at urltoken .
use of the photographs and multimedia on the astronics website for commerci . . .
astronics test systems ensures optimal performance of mission critical systems through innovative test solutions .
enhanced vision systems . astronics max - viz will demonstrate how its newly certified max - viz 2300 enhanced vision system ( evs ) improves visibility of terrain and runways . blending infrared and visible light sensors , the new max - viz 2300 evs displays real - time heat sources , along with led airport lighting , to make it safer for pilots to land in dark , challenging conditions .
flir systems , inc . announces partnership with max - viz for development of enhanced vision systems for aircraft
astronics corporation ( nasdaq : atro ) , through its wholly owned subsidiary astronics max - viz , is collaborating with the federal aviation administration ( faa ) in a research project to study operational concepts for the use of enhanced flight vision systems ( efvs ) in helicopters .
the amended faa stc expands the number of max - viz - 1500 video - capable mfds to include garmin’s g500 , g600 and g1000 , avidyne’s entegra release 9 , universal avionics’ 890r , and any other video - capable mfd . in addition , king airs with video - capable electronic flight bags are compatible with astronics max - viz - 1500 . previously , the astronics max - viz - 1500 was only available on king airs equipped with rockwell collins pro line 21 avionics . visit urltoken .
troutman said max - viz and astronics share many of the same customers , so the acquisition could make it easier for some customers by enabling transactions with both companies through a single point of contact .
max - viz has worked mostly within the world of business jets and helicopters . it has yet to reach into the world of commercial aviation , which is an area in which astronics is familiar .
in a news release , astronics said it may add $ 8 million to the purchase price if max - viz reaches certain revenue targets in 2013 , 2014 and 2015 . it didn’t identify the targets .
nov . 4 , 2013 , east aurora , n . y . - astronics corporation’s max - viz enhanced vision system has been selected by simplex aerospace as standard equipment for its skycannon and fire attack systems .
astronics corporation’s max - viz - 1500 enhanced vision system has received approval by the civil aviation administration of china ( caac ) for retrofit installation in bell b206b / 206l - 4 / 407 helicopters . astronics executive vice president elliott troutman said , “astronics concurs with bell helicopter’s assessment that china will be the world’s strongest helicopter growth market with a need for 2 , 000 aircraft during the… read more »
max - viz products produce a video signal that interfaces with rs - 170 / ntsc ( basically black and white video ) compatible displays . max - viz has effectively interfaced for display on pfd / pnd , mfd and efb as well as countless quality dedicated displays . contact your authorized max - viz dealer or max - viz directly for additional details and to find out what display options are recommended with your evs system or airframe . we have a solution that will work for you .
max - viz , inc . has solutions for a wide range of firefighting airframes including both fixed and rotary wing platforms .
astronics corporation ( nasdaq : atro ) has acquired privately - held max - viz , inc . , a market - leading developer and designer of enhanced vision systems ( evs ) for fixed and rotary wing aircraft through both oem and aftermarket channels in the general aviation , commercial and military aerospace markets for $ 10 million in cash . additional purchase consideration of up to $ 8 . 0 million may be paid by astronics if max - viz achieves certain revenue targets in 2013 , 2014 and 2015 . astronics expects the acquisition to be slightly accretive in 2012 . kippsdesanto & co . acted as exclusive financial advisor to max - viz , inc . on this transaction .
max - viz and aggressive insurance of irving , texas announce the availability of a 5 % discount on aviation insurance policies written through aggressive insurance for the entire premium of any aircraft equipped with a max - viz enhanced vision system ( evs ) . â€œin case after case , max - viz enhanced vision system technology has resulted in increased situational awareness and definitely improves… read more »
in addition to becoming a strategic investor in max - viz , flir will also provide infrared imagers , manufacturing and engineering expertise and intellectual property . max - viz will provide the end products as well as be responsible for all sales and marketing activities .
the max - viz 2300 is a multi - spectral imager with 640x480 long wave infrared sensor , visible light + . . .
astronics corp . , based in east aurora , n . y . , received an amended supplemental type certificate ( stc ) expanding the number of beechcraft king air aircraft that can be equipped with the astronics max - viz - 1500 enhanced vision system to include all king air models equipped with any video - capable multifunction display ( mfd ) .
“we expect that max - viz will continue its growth through innovation , quality and its solid pipeline of opportunities , ” gundermann said .
flir systems , inc . announces partnership with max - viz for development of enhanced vision systems for aircraft | flir systems , inc .
the max - viz x1 is a lightweight , solid - state , low power , uncooled thermal camera . the sen . . .
the max - viz 1200 is a lightweight , solid - state , low power , uncooled thermal camera . the sensor . . .
the max - viz 1400 is a lightweight , solid - state , low power , uncooled thermal camera . the sensor . . .
the max - viz 600 is a multi - spectral imager with 320x240 long wave infrared sensor , visible light + n . . .
the astronics max - viz infrared enhanced vision is now available for the cessna 172 , 182 and 206 . the unit ' s ability to distinguish temperature differentials of just one - tenth of a degree fahrenheit provides exceptional situational awareness at night .
astronics test systems provides test solutions for mission critical industries where failure of electronic systems is not an option .
max - viz , inc and police aviation services ( pas ) of england have received a statement of integration ( soi ) export license from the u . s . department of commerce ( doc ) allowing significantly quicker and more streamlined export of max - viz enhanced vision system technology abroad to civilian users through the pas facility in cheltenham , uk . pdf – max - viz and pas receive… read more »
max - viz inc . recently shipped its 250th helicopter forward - looking infrared enhanced vision system . the company’s real - time enhanced vision system greatly improves flight safety and situational awareness . “this important milestone demonstrates our continuing commitment to the rotary - wing community , ” said max - viz vice president business development lou churchville . “max - viz knows helicopters . we have experienced and tenured helicopter pilots on… read more »
with a breadth of innovative solutions from astronics , customers can enjoy streamlined vendor management , deep technical expertise and faa - certified solutions . company - wide , astronics delivers cost - effective solutions with a collaborative spirit to solve customer challenges . today , astronics solutions are deployed throughout most commercial , business and military aircraft platforms worldwide .
the max - viz x1 + hr is a lightweight , solid - state , low power , uncooled thermal camera . the . . .
) - - astronics corporation ( nasdaq : atro ) , a leading provider of advanced technologies for the global aerospace and defense industries , today announced that it has acquired privately - held max - viz , inc . ( “max - viz” ) , a market - leading developer and designer of enhanced vision systems ( evs ) for fixed and rotary wing aircraft through both oem and aftermarket channels in the general aviation , commercial and military aerospace markets for $ 10 million in cash . additional purchase consideration of up to $ 8 . 0 million may be paid by astronics if max - viz achieves certain revenue targets in 2013 , 2014 and 2015 .
max - viz sells through a world class network of fbo repair stations to jet , turboprop and turbine fixed and rotor wing end users and directly to turbine powered airframe manufacturers . max - viz is about getting there safely and avoiding through enhanced situational awareness what you otherwise might have personally encountered .
astronics corporation ( nasdaq : atro ) , through its wholly owned subsidiary astronics max - viz , is collaborating with the federal aviation administration ( faa ) in a research project to study operational concepts for the use of enhanced flight vision systems ( efvs ) in helicopters . the study is designed to develop a basis for possible application of enhanced vision systems in helicopters flying… read more »
a lightweight system from astronics called max - viz 2300 enhanced - vision system has achieved certification , allowing for installation in more than 40 airplanes and helicopters for which it has an stc . the system is compatible with multiple mfds from avidyne , garmin , honeywell , bendixking , rockwell collins and universal avionics . the max - viz 2300 measure about 3 by 7 inches and weighs less than 2 . 5 pounds .
“with the airport lighting environment converting over to low - heat leds , many thermal imagers can no longer detect the runway lights , ” said astronics max - viz sales manager grant sumpter . “the max - viz 2300 , however , with our blended thermal and visible light image , does “see” the lights , and can provide detailed information about the terrain to pilots in all kinds of weather and flight conditions . ”
astronics test systems would like to thank those who’ve recognized our journey . here are a few recent awards and achievements .
“i’m amazed every time i fly the max - viz evs . it literally turns night into day . my night pucker factor is now nil . ”
astronics last year grew its revenue nearly 17 percent to $ 228 . 2 million . ceo peter j . gundermann said in a news release tuesday that the deal for max - viz fits within the company’s strategy to broaden its product offerings within the aerospace and defense industries .
max - viz expects delivery rates to continue increasing through 2004 and 2005 as more business aircraft operators adopt enhanced vision systems , says corporate sales director jean menard .
max - viz inc . announce the faa stc approval for the installation of the evs - 1500 enhanced vision system on eurocopter as - 350 and ec - 130
view the video to see what astronics will be showing at this year’s paris air show , june 19 - 25 , 2017 .
we appreciate your interest in career opportunities with the astronics group of companies in ca , fl , nh , ny , and wa .
the following are the terms and conditions under which astronics max - viz ( the “company” ) products and services are sold to customers . the term “customer” shall mean the dealer , distributor or end user as applicable and the term “agreement” shall mean the dealer , distributor or end - user agreement as applicable .
“the max - viz acquisition fits well with our strategy to broaden our product and technology offerings to the aerospace and defense industry , ” commented peter j . gundermann , president and ceo of astronics . “they are a leading provider of evs technology having earned faa certification for installation on more than 200 different fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft models across various manufacturers . we expect that max - viz will continue its growth through innovation , quality and its solid pipeline of opportunities . ”
“the astronics group wants to run us exactly as we’ve been running , ” troutman said tuesday morning . “we’re basically just changing investors . ”
with 11 subsidiaries plus extensive sales and support networks worldwide , astronics delivers solutions to the world’s leading aerospace , defense , and semiconductor organizations .
the cts - 6000 from astronics test systems to integrate trellisware tsm test capability to improve operational readiness for trellisware radio users in the field .
max - viz was founded in 2001 by industry veterans ; supported by some of the country’s finest venture capital firms . in 2012 , the company was purchased by astronics corporation but remains intact as a business unit and wholly owned subsidiary . as a wholly owned subsidiary , we don’t release financial information , but our parent company is publicly held ( nasdaq : atro ) and information is available on the parent company website ( www . astronics . com ) .
portland , oregon - based max - viz says three to four systems a week are being delivered . this is expected to double within two months as aircraft installations are approved .
max - viz is the leader in enhanced vision systems ( evs ) for a wide range of applications . for 15 years , we have deployed evs to many satisfied customers .
flight - testing is being conducted by the faa’s william j . hughes technical center at the atlantic city international airport in new jersey . the max - viz 1500 sensor will provide baseline testing , which will be followed with the installation of the max - viz 2300 for observation of led lighting on the blended high - resolution long - wave infrared image .
astronics max - viz embraces the faa initiative to accept enhanced vision systems ( evs ) as a time tested technology that is a reliable and useful tool in allowing pilots to taxi , take off , and land in situations where they are not permitted to do so today . astronics max - viz agrees that a hud is a viable means to provide evs information to the pilot , but does not believe it is the only mechanism for safely displaying evs information . various members of the canadian and european regulatory and aviation communities believe evs information can be safely displayed on a head down displays ( hdd ) particularly when there are two crewman in the cockpit . astronics max - viz also believes that synthetic vision systems ( svs ) when properly registered to the real world ( i . e . validated by evs ) and presented on a hdd can be used with an equivalent level of operational safety in similar approach , landing , and take - off profiles .
an astronics max - viz evs system can increase safety and mission success in both rotary and fixed wing ems fleets . typically , the investment is half the cost of night vision goggles ( nvg ) , with no need for costly flight deck lighting modifications or hours of expensive initial and recurrent flight crew training and currency .
max - viz was founded in 2001 on the idea that we could develop and market evs infrared and thermal cameras and bring them to the civil aviation market at an affordable price .
astronics’ top of the line evs , the max - viz 2300 , provides pilots with an unprecedented level of situational awareness and safety by enabling them to see more precisely during day or night in adverse weather conditions , such as haze , smoke , smog and light fog , even in the darkest night . at night , pilots can also see and avoid clouds for a smoother ride . upon landing , pilots using the max - viz 2300 can view the runway and terrain clearly to avoid wildlife and unlit obstructions .
max - viz demonstrates new level of capabilities with synthetic - enhanced vision system ; u . s . air force research laboratories supported test program of ` ` se - vision ' ' systems underway
“the ability to see is the greatest need of all , and the head - down max - viz evs enhanced vision system is the best safety feature invented for aircraft since weather radar . “
max - viz and one sky aviation have announced the award of faa stc # sr02377ak for the installation of max - viz evs - 1500 dual optical zoom infrared enhanced vision system ( evs ) on agusta a - 109 series helicopters tcds h7eu . â€œthis stc has been the most globally customer driven certification program we have initiated , with 4 additional follow on orders , … read more »
max - viz and one sky aviation announced the all models list ( aml ) addition of the eurocopter ec - 135 onto faa stc # sr02362ak for the installation of max - viz evs - 1500 dual optical zoom infrared enhanced vision system ( evs ) on the eurocopter deutschland ec - 135 helicopter . “this stc currently encompasses the helicopter models associated with both the h9eu and h88eu… read more »
max - viz and one sky aviation completed a successful series of tests on the performance of the max - viz evs - 1500 dual optical field of view sensor on wildfires in central alaska . â€œthis important testing was necessary to confirm performance expectations of the evs - 1500 sensor over its predecessor , the evs - 1000 , specifically in a fire environmentâ€ states bob yerex , … read more »
max - viz ceo elliott troutman said his 12 - person full - time staff will remain in place . but it will now have the benefit of working with the resources of a much larger company .
max - viz announced today the canadian approval of us faa stc # sr02322akfor the installation of the evs - 1500 enhanced vision system on s - 76 a thru c + + helicopters . the approval was obtained by stc holder and max - viz team partner one sky aviation . â€œthe s - 76 approval process went very smoothly through transport canadaâ€ , stated cary foster , owner of one sky… read more »
max - viz announced monday the incorporation of 11 evs - 1000 infrared sensor systems onto the agustawestland grand ( aw109 ) helicopter . initial deliveries have been completed to the swiss air - rescue operator rega .
max - viz and helijet of vancouver , b . c . canada announces the cooperative installation of the max - viz evs - 1500 on three ( 3 ) s - 76 helicopters supporting ems operations under contract with the b . c . government . â€œafter thorough evaluation of nvis technologies , we determined that evs would provide helijet ems helicopters with the most cost effective and safe solution to both day… read more »
astronics max - viz is collaborating with the u . s . faa in a research project to study operational concepts for the use of enhanced flight vision systems ( efvs ) in helicopters , the company announced today . while efvs rules exist for approaches to runways at airports , comparable regulations for efvs do not exist for helicopters flying to onshore or offshore helipads / heliports .
the simplex skycannon is a helicopter - mounted firefighting system that enables firefighters to reach fires in high - rise buildings more quickly and effectively than traditional ground - based systems . complemented with the astronics max - viz enhanced vision system , operators of simplex firefighting equipment will be able to see through smoke while fighting high - rise fires . “the capabilities of the astronics max - viz , which allows an operator to see through smoke , haze , light fog and darkness , is ideally coupled with simplex aerospace’s breakthrough skycannon to make high - rise buildings safer from fire , ” said astronics executive vice president , elliott troutman . “this application demonstrates the diversity of our installations , which increase pilot safety and situational awareness . ” the new simplex system will be compatible with viewing max - viz images on the aircraft multifunction display or on a dedicated display . in addition to enhanced vision images , newly designed simplex aerospace fire attack systems will support data acquisition of door operation , hover pump activation and foam pump activation , all correlated with aircraft gps position . simplex aerospace president and ceo mark zimmerman said , “our new agreement with astronics for the max - viz enhanced vision system is another step toward our goal of supplying simplex customers with state - of - the - art systems that enable them to be more effective in fighting fires and saving lives . ” simplex produces the skycannon for the avicopter ac313 , bell 412 / 212 , agustawestland aw139 , eurocopter ec225 and kamov ka - 32 firefighting helicopters .
max - viz demonstrates new level of capabilities with synthetic - enhanced vision system ; u . s . air force research laboratories supported test program of ` ` se - vision ' ' systems underway | business wire
astronics is proud to partner with industry leading test technology providers for integrated test solutions that incorporate the newest technologies . interested to become an official partner ? contact us .
it is the policy of astronics test systems inc . ( ats ) to conduct business in compliance with all applicable export laws and relevant regulations of the united states .
the astronics max - viz enhanced vision system uses an infrared sensor and a visible light camera to display a real - time video image of the environment outside of the aircraft . it ' s available as a factory option for many g1000 aircraft , plus it has stc approval for retrofit on most all cessna singles . aviation consumer ' s larry anglisano evaluates the system in a cirrus .
note to editors : astronics will be making appointments for press tours at the booth . to schedule an appointment , please contact michelle manson at michelle . manson @ urltoken .
max viz develops enhanced vision systems that use a proprietary combination of optical and infrared sensors , signal processing and cockpit displays to provide pilots with real - time images that enhance situational awareness in all lighting and weather conditions .
max - viz , inc’s evs systems aid situational awareness in nighttime marine operations , light fog , haze , and smoke . we have worked with many marine operators to help improve mission accuracy and effectiveness and avoid obstacles .
max - viz inc . , a portland - based maker of infrared vision systems used in aircraft , has been acquired in a $ 10 million deal that could stretch to $ 18 million if the company reaches revenue targets .
in the future , the information from the max - viz 2300 will be able to combine with synthetic - vision images , producing what has been termed a combined vision system ( cvs ) similar to that of dassault’s falconeye cvs .
the max - viz 1500 sensor will provide baseline testing , which will be followed with the installation of the max - viz 2300 for observation of led lighting on the blended high resolution long wave infrared image . flights are planned to occur in various weather and visibility conditions , day , night and twilight and via alternative approaches . results of the study will be used by the faa to evaluate the effectiveness of efvs technology for helicopter flight safety and operational effectiveness .
astronics corporation ( nasdaq : atro ) is a leading supplier of advanced technologies and products to the global aerospace , defense and semiconductor industries . astronics’ products and services include advanced , high - performance electrical power generation and distribution systems , seat motion solutions , lighting and safety systems , avionics products , aircraft structures , systems certification and automated test systems . astronics’ strategy is to increase its value by developing technologies and capabilities , either internally or through acquisition , and using those capabilities to provide innovative solutions to its targeted markets and other markets where its technology can be beneficial . through its wholly - owned subsidiaries , astronics has a reputation for high - quality designs , exceptional responsiveness , strong brand recognition and best - in - class manufacturing practices .
astronics max - viz enhanced vision systems ( evs ) are designed for turbine and piston , fixed and rotary wing aircraft . the systems use infrared sensors , signal processing , and advanced cockpit displays to show terrain , runways , taxiways , aircraft and obstacles in poor visibility conditions , including light fog , haze , smoke , smog , light precipitation and darkness all within a package that is compact , lightweight , reliable and affordable .
astronics test systems maintains an effective quality assurance management system under the guidelines of sae / anab standard as9100 , as well as applicable customer qa specifications and astronics policies . astronics’ quality system includes provisions for defining and verifying material quality throughout all operations , including procurement , fabrication , in - process manufacturing , final assembly , and delivery . our quality system encompasses those actions necessary by all departments and individual employees to ensure delivered products , whether hardware , software , or services , conform to an established as9100 compliant quality system for development , production , support , and sustainment .
we continue to lead the market with uncooled infrared technology ,
said dr . richard kerr , chief scientist at max - viz .
its performance has reached the point where it exceeds that of cryocooled cameras in evs applications .
my max - viz evs system has a faa - pma label on it with various aircraft models listed , but my aircraft model is not listed . should i be concerned and , if not , why is the label on the camera ?
astronics test systems enjoys a 55 + year heritage of serving aerospace , military , semiconductor and medical device manufacturers with test solutions . here is a snapshot of the main events in our journey .
max - viz announces the launch of an updated website and an enhanced vision system ( evs ) performance video . max - vizâ€™s new streamlined website provides easy access to information on certification , installation , and product performance for customers and inquirers alike . the company has also produced a compelling video , â€œseeing is believingâ€ which illustrates the impact of evs technology on… read more »
max - viz is the leading supplier of enhanced vision infrared based systems to civil aviation , with over 55 faa type certificated and / or supplemental type certificated installations available on virtually all of the leading civilian jet , turboprop and turbine rotor wing aircraft .
astronics max - viz came into being in 2001 as a result of two inventions that allowed for the creation of a small , lightweight design for evs that could be deployed onto commercial and general aviation aircraft . the first invention was an uncooled focal plane array developed by honeywell ( called a microbolometer ) that could detect thermal infrared radiation , did not require a cryogenic cooling system ( as conventional systems required in the 1990s ) and could convert the electromagnetic thermal impulses into signals that could be displayed on a monitor . the second invention was a patented system to fuse video images from multiple sources developed by dr . j . richard kerr ( one of the original founders of max - viz ) . this invention enabled signals from a visible light source to be combined with the signals from an infrared source ( like the honeywell focal plane array mentioned above ) and present a picture effectively
turning night into day
. max - viz licensed the microbolometer design from honeywell for use in aviation and initially licensed the fusion patent ( developed by dr . kerr ) from flir systems . in 2012 , the company was acquired by astronics corporation as a wholly owned subsidiary .
founded in 2001 in portland , or , max - viz had 2011 revenue of $ 5 . 4 million and backlog of $ 3 . 0 million at the end of 2011 , and is projecting 2012 full - year revenue in the range of $ 7 . 0 million to $ 8 . 0 million . max - viz’s evs product line fuses infrared and visible imagery allowing real - time display to pilots for increased visibility in adverse weather conditions , such as darkness , precipitation , fog , dust and smoke .
“a number of astronics subsidaries have inroads to commercial areas in boeing and airbus , ” troutman said . “they have some channels where we could introduce that , that we don’t have to develop ourselves . ”
conventional ir systems are cryogenically cooled , that is , they require a mechanical cooler to keep the detector very cold in order to “see” small temperature differences . the max - viz system uses new , uncooled microbolometer technology to attain equivalent performance without the need for complicated , heavy and expensive cooling mechanics . some of the older , cooled system are sold today at up to $ 500 , 000 per system . max - viz technology is designed to be simply installed and incorporated into aircraft operations to improve existing operational flight safety .
finally , astronics peco will provide information on its custom manufacturing capabilities for the production of any aircraft component , including passenger service units , fuel access doors and many other customized solutions for commercial and military aircraft .
the company has funded the majority of stcs itself , and its next target is the cessna citation family . jenard says max - viz is in discussions with cessna , which is already certificating the portland company ' s evs - 2000 in the citation x and sovereign .
astronics corporation is a leader in advanced , high - performance lighting , electrical power , avionics databus products and automated test systems for the global aerospace and defense industries . astronics’ strategy is to develop and maintain positions of technical leadership in its chosen aerospace and defense markets , to leverage those positions to grow the amount of content and volume of product it sells to those markets and to selectively acquire businesses with similar technical capabilities that could benefit from our leadership position and strategic direction . astronics corporation , and its wholly - owned subsidiaries , astronics advanced electronic systems corp . , ballard technology , inc . , dme corporation and luminescent systems inc . , have a reputation for high - quality designs , exceptional responsiveness , strong brand recognition and best - in - class manufacturing practices . the company routinely posts news and other important information on its website at urltoken .
east aurora , n . y . - based astronics corp . , a publicly traded maker of various aerospace technologies ( nasdaq : atro ) , isn’t expected to make any immediate changes to the privately held company .
approval for installation of the max - viz system on your aircraft comes from a type certificate ( tc ) , service bulletin ( sb ) or supplemental type certificate ( stc ) . the label only lists models for which max - viz has faa parts manufacturer approval ( pma ) . the reason there is a label on the evs system is all pma holders are required to label their products ( title 14 of the code of federal regulations ( 14 cfr ) , part 21 certification procedures for products and parts , section 21 . 316 ) .
with no programming or interpretation and permits , pilots can enjoy maximum results with greater peace - of - mind and safety than ever before - regardless of weather conditions or time of day . experience all of the benefits that max - viz® will bring to your king air flight .
not surprisingly the fatality rate in night fixed - wing general aviation accidents is double that of daytime accidents , according to the air safety institute’s 2010 joseph t . nall report . with the ntsb keeping ga on its top 10 list for 2013 , the industry is looking for any opportunity to improve ga safety . cessna aircraft’s jan . 7 announcement that the astronics max - viz enhanced vision systems are now available on the 172 , 182 , and 206 models gives pilots one more tool to improve safety .
east aurora , ny , june 19 , 2017 – astronics corporation ( nasdaq : atro ) , a leading supplier of advanced technologies and products to the global aerospace and defense industries , announced that its latest innovations will be on display at the paris air show from june 19 – 25 , 2017 . astronics will highlight new solutions spanning connectivity , power , lighting and more for deployment on commercial , business and military fixed - wing and rotor aircraft .
the max - viz evs - 600 is the only dual wavelength infrared sensor specifically designed for piston aircraft that operate below fl250 , under 250 kts . the stunning performance of our general aviation product brings a new level of safety , security and , yes – fun – into personal flying .
astronics corporation david c . burney , 716 - 805 - 1599 , ext . 159 chief financial officer david . burney @ urltoken or investor relations : kei advisors llc deborah k . pawlowski , 716 - 843 - 3908 dpawlowski @ urltoken
“astronics enjoys a long history of serving both commercial and military aircraft programs with a breadth of off - the - shelf and customized solutions for our customers , ” commented peter gundermann , president and chief executive officer of astronics corporation . “we’re excited to be here and demonstrate our extensive capabilities across multiple aerospace sectors with sophisticated , innovative technology solutions for aircraft connectivity , power and lighting . ” attendees can expect to view demonstrations of these solutions in hall 3 , stand b148 :
we had the chance to fly the max - viz 600 system on a new 182 with cessna out of wichita’s mid - continent airport . while taxiing at night , the yellow taxiway stripes clearly showed up as warmer than the surrounding pavement , helping to guide us through the airport’s complex taxiway system .
max - viz , inc . , manufacturer of the evs - 100 and dual - wave length evs - 600 , announced today that forward . vision will continue to be the exclusive sales channel and customer support provider to aftermarket and selected oemâ€™s for the evs - x00 product line to general aviation .
max - viz evs are manufactured to the same high standards used on other systems made by agustawestland , textron ( bell helicopter , beechcraft , cessna ) , boeing , bombardier , casa , canadair , cirrus , dassault , eurocopter , gulfstream , learjet , pilatus , piper , robinson helicopter and sikorsky aircraft .
the following is a list of aircraft that have installed max - viz enhanced vision systems . if you don ' t see your aircraft listed , we are always working on new airframes to be added to the list . leave us your contact information and we will let you know when one is available .
extensive , dual - use ( commercial / military ) tests and demonstrations will also take place in april through june , at both atlantic city and the kirtland air force base area . at that time , max - viz will add a new provision for evs sensing of led - based runway and taxi lighting .
flir systems , inc . announces partnership with max - viz for development of enhanced vision systems for aircraftportland , ore . , jan 31 , 2002 ( business wire ) - - flir systems , inc . ( nasdaq : flir ) announced today that it has formed a strategic partnership with max - viz , inc . , also based in portland , for the development , manufacture and sales of enhanced vision systems for commercial and military aircraft . enhanced vision systems , which utilize infrared imagers , dramatically improve situational awareness , enabling aircraft to more safely taxi , takeoff and land at night , in poor weather conditions or when vision is otherwise obscured .
max - viz evs systems for business aircraft , helicopters and general aviation are available from an extensive list of oems , mros and factory authorized dealers and specialists that includes the most respected names in the industry . capabilities include evs sales , installation , training and long - term product support . contact sales for additional information .
“the max - viz evs - 600 system , mounted under the left wing , displayed an image of what it could see ahead that i couldn’t . in fact , when we landed we were able to see a deer crossing the runway that would have been virtually impossible to see in the dark without the evs . ”
cessna has provisioned the three models of piston singles to accept the max - viz system for the last couple of years , making for easy retrofits . retrofit systems are available for $ 30 , 051 . installations are only available through cessna dealers . when ordered on a new airplane , the upgrade is $ 22 , 145 .
max - viz ended 2011 with $ 5 . 4 million in sales and a $ 3 million order backlog for its evs product line , which brings together infrared and visible imagery to improve visibility for aircraft pilots . the company , founded in 2001 , projects sales this year to reach between $ 7 million and $ 8 million .
we strive to exceed your expectations by collaborating with your team to provide solutions tailored specifically to test your products . astronics integrated test systems , instruments , maintenance training equipment , and engineering services are customized to achieve your vital time , cost , and performance goals .
astronics corporation ( nasdaq : atro ) serves the world’s aerospace , defense , and semiconductor industries with proven , innovative technology solutions . we work side - by - side with customers , integrating our array of power , connectivity , lighting , structure , interior , and test technologies to solve complex challenges . for 50 years , we’ve delivered creative , customer - focused solutions with exceptional responsiveness . today global airframe manufacturers , airlines , military branches , completion centers , and fortune 500 companies rely on the collaborative spirit and innovation of astronics .
avionics connectivity systems . attendees can learn about astronics ballard technology’s new small - size , lightweight webfb® system , an faa - certified aircraft interface device ( aid ) that provides a cost - effective , easy - to - deploy solution for commercial airlines looking for secure connectivity for portable electronic flight bags ( efbs ) and avionics data . astronics ballard technology will also feature its ab3000 , a customizable avionics i / o embedded computer offering easy integration plus power - packed performance with multiple built - in data bus interfaces and an intel processor .
in - cabin power solutions . astronics advanced electronic systems ( aes ) , the industry leader in passenger power , will demonstrate its empower® product line , including in - seat power supplies , ac outlet units , usb outlet units and dual ac / usb outlet units .
aircraft lighting systems . astronics luminescent systems , inc . ( lsi ) will be on hand to demonstrate its latest innovations in cabin lighting , cockpit panel lighting , exterior lighting and other lighting products , built on a 40 - year history of serving the aircraft industry .
with long seasoned in - house search and rescue experience , max - viz is keenly aware of the dynamics and hazards associated with sar operations . whether inland , offshore or a combination of the two , evs provides pilots with the ability to separate the safe operation of a sar platform from the dynamics of a sensor aided or visual search mission .
max - viz has announced the addition of grant sumpter to the sales team . grant has 16 years of avionics experience including complex avionics installations , engineering , regulatory compliance and sales . he began his avionics career at a 3 rd party mro working on commercial aircraft , and has been in corporate aviation for over 15 years . for the… read more »
satellite antenna systems . astronics aerosat is showing its newest connectivity solution , the flitestream® f - 310 series antenna system . designed to take advantage of new spot beam satellite technology , the flitestream f - 310 delivers the highest bandwidth and fastest in - flight internet connectivity speeds in its class .
in an effort to continue providing safety enhancing products and solutions to the aviation industry , night flight concepts ( nfc ) and max - viz inc . have created a strategic alliance to better align their separate technologies as a more comprehensive night vision imaging systems ( nvis ) / enhanced vision systems ( evs ) safety solution . â€œevs and nvis technologies have long… read more »
“inbound to salem , or their weather went below minimums so i was diverted to portland were the visibility was fluctuating between rvr 1600 and 2200 under a thick fog layer . things were happening pretty fast as i set up for the new approach during vectors to the ils . as i turned on final and entered the fog i turned on the max - viz and immediately had the runway in clear view even though the rvr was still at minimums . because there was still a possibility of a go around if the visibility went down again , it was very comforting to be able to see the runway clearly through the fog and complete the approach with confidence . a few weeks later i was flying an aircraft without max - viz but could really have used it . landing to the north at mccall , id the south end of the runway was clear but the north half of the airport was literally zero zero in fog . i touched down with no problem but entered the fog on rollout and was in a complete whiteout which made taxiing to the ramp very tricky and unsafe . max - viz would have been a great help . ”
the max - viz 600 is a multi - spectral imager with 320x240 long wave infrared sensor , visible light + near infrared sensor and patented blending and dynamic range management image processing designed for general aviation . the lightweight sensor is housed in an aerodynamic surface mount for quick & easy installation and the image is presented on any display that accepts ntsc / analog rs - 170 video signals .
emergency lighting and safety products . attendees can preview several products from astronics dme’s emergency systems line , including the newest air lite® led flashlights , which offer significant weight savings and technological improvements over legacy flashlights . other offerings include exit indicators with 50 different language options , universal precaution kits and first aid kits .
jet aviation has completed the first installation of a max - vis evs - 1000 enhanced vision system on a dassault falcon 50ex as applications and sales of the situational - awareness aid gather pace .
max - viz , inc . has shipped its 1 , 000th enhanced vision system ( evs ) , marking a significant point in the companyâ€™s history . the unit , an evs - 1500 , was shipped to the agustawestland factory in italy and is expected to be installed on an aw139 within the next few weeks . â€œwe are very proud of our product and the marketplace acceptance… read more »
max - viz , inc . is a portland , oregon , based company leading in the design , development and manufacture of enhanced vision systems for aviation covering a broad range of aircraft categories and types , including helicopters , business jets and commercial air transports . these systems improve situational awareness and safety using state - of - the - art , uncooled infrared sensor technologies combined with proprietary and patented image processing .
this new relationship with max - viz is another example of our long - term strategy to partner with companies dedicated to the development of exciting new markets for the application of infrared technology ,
said earl r . lewis , president and chief executive officer of flir systems .
together , we will bring a new level of safety and efficiency to air transport and commercial aircraft operations ,
lewis concluded .
power generation and distribution . in addition , astronics will show its corepower® product line that provides flight - critical power generation , power distribution and power conversion on a broad range of aircraft . recent innovations in the corepower® product line include solid - state power distribution , brushless starter - generators and significant advancements in power conversion technology .
max - viz also provided the integrated ground - database / image correlation and registration processing from teaming partners dlr ( german aerospace center ) and research triangle institute , respectively . according to kerr ,
this processing permits direct , evs - based integrity monitoring and derivation of a separate - thread navigation signal . the result is continuous , real - time verification of the synthetic vision imagery and related flight guidance cues .
the max - viz® evs - 1500 system utilizes the industry ' s only thermal imaging camera that can be toggled between wide angle and telephoto fields - of - view by the pilot for display on the aircraft ' s pro line 21 video capable multi - functional display . the system also includes a connection for video capable electronic flight bags and a video distribution amplifier that enables infrared images to be displayed on passenger monitors .
the technology developed by max - viz includes a dual - band model evs - 2500 with image fusion , and separately optimized image enhancement for head - down and head - up displays . this includes new image processing that stabilizes gain and level while completely avoiding scene saturation from hot objects or a cold sky . company officials say the uncooled infrared cameras performed particularly well against the very cold , snow and ice dominated background scene .
“please share with your offices and others interested in max - viz’ evs systems that i find that it is a great simple , passive safety system for situational awareness in aviation . especially in vfr helicopter operations at night . we selected the max - viz evs1500 due to the need to reduce or mitigate the risks for our flight operations . statistically , our corporate / vip flight operations in the great lakes region four season’s weather carry the elevated risk of controlled flight into terrain from disorientation at night and inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions ( imc ) in the day and especially night flight . approximately 80 % of the hazards related to our flight operations , based on accident statistics – can be tied to these risks . i determined that using a max - viz evs system was easy for my clients , required minimal training and re - current training , and is compact and unobtrusive in the cockpit . but , best of all – it is the best single solution to mitigate and minimize these hazards for our operations . i have found in a short amount of time , my comfort level in reduced visibility and night flight is much greater . i fly with it all the time and make it part of my scan . if someone wishes to speak with me in person , have them contact me .
in - service king air owners , operators and repair stations can now purchase the max - viz® evs - 1500 enhanced vision system ( evs ) directly from hawker beechcraft . in addition , seamless , turn - key aircraft installation is available from hawker beechcraft services ( hbs ) . new aircraft buyers can also add the evs - 1500 system to new king air c90gtx , 250 and 350i turboprops as a post delivery modification through hbs .
“we are based in the mountains and fly all over the country on charter business , therefore safety is the main reason why we had the max - viz evs installed in our lear 60 . you can see everything with this system – it is incredible and we use it every day . there is one small airport in particular that we frequent in texas and there are always deer on the runway . now , we’ll be able to see them on approach . ”
because evs is a safety and productivity enhancement that adds value to the aircraft , you may be able to take advantage of favorable tax treatment . please consult your accounting department and / or tax advisor for additional advice as to whether you qualify . additionally , numerous max - viz customers have reported insurance savings associated with the addition of evs to their airframe , however , we are not qualified to provide specific insurance information and therefore you should consult your insurance professional .


roominate is a construction set introduced by maykah inc. , a company founded by alice brooks and bettina chen , in 2012 .

the product , marketed at girls aged 6 – 10 , consists of modular plastic building pieces that can interlock to create models and includes circuits that can be wired .

originally funded through kickstarter , the company received an investment from mark cuban and lori greiner during the sixth season of shark tank .

roominate

hook up a roominate set to rpower and then control your circuits from the free roominate app . works with all existing roominate sets !
while designing roominate , we have made sure that roominate meets and exceeds all toy safety standards through extensive safety testing . roominate complies to the following safety standards :
get your rpower first ! hook up a roominate set to rpower and then control your circuits from the free roominate app . works with all existing roominate sets !
roominate is a toy product designed to foster young girl ' s interest in stem . roominate is a private company . roominate has a revenue of $ 10m , and 10 employees . roominate has raised a total of $ 1m in funding . roominate ' s top competitor is leapfrog enterprises , led by john barbour , who is their ceo . roominate has 15 followers on owler .
owler has collected 12 screenshots of roominate ' s website since jun 2014 . the latest roominate website design screenshot was captured in oct 2017 .
since roominate was founded in 12 / 2011 , it has participated in 1 round of funding . in total roominate has raised $ 1 . 0m . roominate ' s funding round was on sep 2015 for a total of $ 1 . 0m
roominate ' s dollhouse kits include motors , lights , battery packs , and switches .
roominate - so honored for the feature today by a mighty . . . | facebook
the roominate team is working to have less and less parts make more and more things .
i wondered if this was just because it was the most basic kit . but looking at the roominate website , even the $ 225 chateau de roominate only comes with the fan .
magformers is seen as one of roominate ' s top competitors . magformers was founded in 2000 , and its headquarters is in plymouth , michigan . magformers has 74 more employees than roominate .
roominate 2 . 0 : new smart toys to inspire girls in stem by maykah inc . —kickstarter
roominate , a santa clara , ca - based creator of a . . . . . .
after mark and lori’s investment of $ 500 , 000 , roominate has grown in multiple exciting directions . from an early goal of teaching children about engineering and circuitry , now , thanks to mark cuban’s expertise , roominate has expanded its teaching tools to include teaching kids about programming . the new “rpower” is a new product from roominate that acts as a small hub that connects all the circuits and lights from your roominate set , and allows kids to control them by creating a program on the roominate app !
roominate is a toy product designed to foster young girl ' s interest in stem . roominate was founded in 12 / 2011 . it has raised 1 . 0m in 1 round . the latest round was in sep 2015 . some of roominate ' s investors include id ventures america and tandem capita . . .
be a roominate superstar with this incredible set ! includes rpower , the new circuits system , a full set of roominate characters , and everything else a superstar needs ! over 350 pieces are included in this set .
alice brooks and bettina chen have sold their santa clara - based building toy startup roominate to patch products .
when alice brooks and bettina chen initially founded roominate in san francisco , they implemented a d . . .
leapfrog enterprises is roominate ' s # 1 rival . leapfrog enterprises was founded in 1995 in emeryville , california . leapfrog enterprises is in the schools field . leapfrog enterprises generates $ 322 . 4m more revenue than roominate .
roominate is the diy wired dollhouse building kit that gets girls excited about stem . through hands - on building and circuits , roominate brings together creativity , engineering , and most importantly , fun ! roominate is designed by alice and bettina , two female engineers from caltech , mit , and stanford with a mission to inspire the next generation of female technology innovators .
kids build and play with their roominate creations for hours at a time . while playing , they are developing important skills :
roominate , a california - based toy company known for its line of customizable , stem inspired , wired b . . .
stem toy and girls ' construction set start - up roominate has launched a new rpower app . the app allows . . .
roominate , an award - winning line of wired building systems for girls aged six and up , just launched a . . .
roominate co - founder alice brooks has been named in forbes ' annual 30 under 30 list , becoming the onl . . .
roominate has employees and is the ninth highest among it ' s top 10 competitors . the top 10 competitors average 1 , 322 .
stem toy and girls ' construction set start - up , roominate , has raised over $ 1million in funding in ord . . .
designing a personalized studio is simple with the roominate studio . roominate empowers girls through hands - on , open - ended play . kids develop important stem skills during play : hands - on problem solving , spatial and fine motor skills , self - confidence , and creativity .
roominate has two solid investors on board as well as an innovative idea . do you think it is enough to withstand the long haul ?
roominate ' s revenue is the fourth highest among it ' s top 10 competitors . the top 10 competitors average $ 466 . 4m .
we listened to your feedback , and we ' ve been working hard behind the scenes to take the technology behind roominate to the next level .
fisher - price is one of roominate ' s top competitors . fisher - price is headquartered in east aurora , new york , and was founded in 1930 . fisher - price competes in the movies & entertainment field . fisher - price generates 18 , 881 % the revenue of roominate .
when alice brooks , co - founder of us toy brand , roominate asked for a barbie as a child , her father ha . . .
snap the battery to a wire piece to a light ! roominate furniture building pieces snap right in so that you can use the circuit pieces structurally .
santa clara , calif . - - ( business wire ) - - roominate , an award - winning line of wired building systems for . . .
santa clara , calif . - - ( business wire ) - - roominate , a california - based toy company known for its line o . . .
palo alto , calif . - - ( business wire ) - - roominate , an award - winning line of wired building systems for g . . .
roominate offers nine products that contain different quantities and combinations of the modular building pieces and circuitry . [ 6 ] tekla perry , in an article for the institute of electrical and electronics engineers , described roominate as a
stem
( science , technology , engineering , and mathematics ) toy company . [ 7 ]
get a full set of the new circuits system to complete your roominate collection ! includes wire pieces and a brand new motor , led , and battery pack .
everything in circuit builder and more ! plug the new circuits into rpower or the battery pack and use the cable converters for circuits from your existing roominate sets .
roominate is perfect for introducing programming , circuits , mechanical engineering concepts , and more into the classroom ! over 1 , 000 pieces are included in this set .
from the impressive beginnings of $ 1 . 7 million dollars in sales by 2014 , the company has exploded in growth with a whopping $ 4 . 5 million in total sales today . and for roominate , that is just the beginning , that impressive sales number does not include the lucrative contract they just entered , which will have roominate sold in 800 walmart stores , as well as on walmart . com . roominate expects the walmart deal alone to net them additional millions in sales .
i first met alice brooks of roominate at stanford’s startx demo day . her dollhouse kit had wooden parts that connected together to form floors , walls , and furniture , and a battery pack and wires for a circuit to control a light , fan , or buzzer . since then , roominate has switched to making the pieces out of a durable and slightly flexible plastic that allows them to be pushed together and pulled apart countless times . and roominate has added more capabilities to its starter sets . it turns out , brooks says , that every kid wanted to build a couch , and roominate had left couches out of the first round . roominate is also including led lighting in its basic ( $ 30 ) sets now , and has beefed up its instruction book with more ideas of things to build with the kits ' parts and motors .
our goal is to expand girls’ possibilities from a young age so that they realize they can do and be anything . as it turns out , boys love roominate too !
creating toys designed to appeal to girls isn ' t without its pitfalls . consider the troubling questions of girlie stereotypes surrounding lego friends . instead of dumbing down , roominate is smartening up .
roominate takes a toy concept that girls already love , and adds a design and engineering component that makes them love it even more ,
says kessler .
roominate got an investment from lori grenier and mark cuban , who together put in $ 500 , 000 for a 5 percent equity stake — a healthy $ 10 million valuation . at the time of their shark tank appearance , roominate had $ 1 . 7 million in sales and had run a successful kickstarter campaign , as the inquisitr previously reported .
speed up and change directions on your fan from your phone ! roominate ' s new pieces carry wiring through the plastic so you simply snap them together to build a circuit .
shark tank fans will get an update friday on one of the show’s most memorable entrepreneur pairs : alice brooks and bettina chen of “roominate . ” brooks and chen were part of the season 6 premiere in the fall of 2014 , pitching their line of construction kits with working circuits . both women have graduate degrees in engineering , and they created roominate to nourish young girls’ interest in science .
the duo entrepreneurs , alice brooks and bettina chen , have also upgraded their workspace since shark tank . the team now has their own roominate headquarters in the great state of wisconsin , along with 8 new employees . now , after winning time magazine’s toy of the year award , and with two dedicated sharks on their side , roominate is on track to achieve its goal of inspiring children across the world .
roominate appeared on the season 6 premiere episode of shark tank , where they received a us $ 500 , 000 investment from mark cuban and lori greiner for a 5 % equity share . [ 5 ]
the deluxe roominate contains everything your daughter needs to build her own miniature room . with twice as many building pieces and circuits as the basic roominate , she can build and wire up even more furniture and contraptions for her creation ! build more bunk beds , longer water slides , and bigger staircases , or wire up a working elevator and lamp with the motor and light circuits . the wall and floor panels can even be configured to build two - level structures , balconies , or backyards . the possibilities are endless ! see more ideas on the roominate website , along with pictures of what other girls have made !
hold an incredible playdate that’s both fun and educational ! send every kid home with a roominate t - shirt , tote bag , and notebook . with over 2 , 000 pieces , the possibilities are truly endless .
i really wish the people at roominate well . i hope that they can think about this more and get back to the core promise that they initially showed . lots of people are counting on efforts like this succeeding .
plug in two circuits into one battery pack , or even more into rpower ! all rpower reward levels come with two converter cables . use the cables to plug in any motors or lights from any existing roominate set .
the wires are built right into the plastic pieces . snap them together easily to create working circuits . then , attach furniture building pieces to build out your creation . the new wire pieces integrate seamlessly into the roominate system .
roominate was founded in 2012 by the stanford engineering grads and developed an award - winning line of building sets aimed at girls . both brooks and chen have been honored as women of influence by the silicon valley business journal .
deluxe roominate is just that - deluxe ! create and design your own dollhouse , then , wire it however you choose ! add real energy with light , an elevator that works , machines that move . kids engineer greatness !
we decided to do this because it is going to give our brand a chance to grow ,
brooks told me .
“patch’s entrepreneurial spirit and innovative culture is exactly what we were looking for to help grow roominate .
like many startups these days , maykah launched a kickstarter to fund the roominate project . they hoped for $ 25 , 000 and got $ 85 , 965 . in silicon valley , still largely dominated by men , support is widespread .
“shark tank” season 6 kicked off with even more innovative ideas than ever before , but there was one clear winner of the night . roominate — a line of toys for little girls that encourage them to build and design was by far the favorite .
roominate ' s toys have also collected honors , including being named one of “top 10 toys to watch in 2015” by forbes , “toy of the year” by time and as a finalist for
toy of the year
from the toy industry association .
chen and brooks both cited their experience as one of the few females in advanced science programs as reasons to create roominate . as chen told business insider this past june , the women both had exposure to similar products as children and that led them into science education programs .
designed by engineers alice brooks and bettina chen , roominate takes girl toys to the next level . the women who met in the master’s engineering program at stanford have created a line of engineering kits which one can build things like water slides and houses with working lamps and elevators .
the top 10 competitors in roominate ' s competitive set are leapfrog enterprises , fisher - price , magformers , mindware , hasbro , jakks , mattel , fat brain toys , lego and hearthsong . together they have raised over 117 . 0m between their estimated 53 . 5k employees .
we started roominate 3 years ago , when we were both finishing masters degrees in engineering at stanford . before that , bettina studied electrical engineering at caltech and alice studied mechanical engineering at mit . shocked by the low number of women in engineering around us , we set out to figure out why .
the pitch went well at first , roominate had some impressive numbers , entering the shark tank with over $ 1 . 7 million dollars in sales , in little more than a year and a half . and to add to those impressive stats , roominate was set to be in 596 toys - r - us stores and 1 , 500 radioshacks by the following year . mr . wonderful , kevin o’leary , was truly impressed with entrepreneurs ability to get mass distribution so quickly , a task that is often insurmountable for young inventors . that said , he was weary of the reality that all of their claims of distribution were for the future , and at present , their sales were online focused . in his words “i’m being asked to pay for success before i know with certainty i have it . ” the roominate team quickly defended their numbers , responding that they have a clear track record of success , with sales more than tripling each year .
what happened ? here is what i conjecture . it is very hard to start a new business ; particularly one that manufactures toys . i think the folks at roominate just haven ' t worked out how to provide more electronics with their kits . they made the judgment to move ahead regardless to make a christmas deadline .
jenn choi of forbes stated that the set ' s design
naturally invites other materials to enhance the play experience
, which gave roominate
even more play value
. [ 8 ] in a review of the product , joshua gans , also of forbes , wrote that
it isn ' t likely to impress parents or kids
, but afterwards wrote that the ability to use the motor for different purposes
[ relieved ] some of [ his family ' s ] initial disappointment
. [ 9 ] jennifer alsever of inc . magazine included roominate on a list of toys for
next - generation inventors
. [ 10 ]
it was the pressure to succeed during their graduate studies that helped them , not only in engineering , but in business . the women learned how to handle failure , which is part of starting a company , according to chen . they worked past the early failed prototypes before creating a roominate that worked and kids seemed to like .
since its shark tank appearance , roominate has expanded its product offerings . forbes named its rpower line one of the “top ten toys to watch in 2015 . ” the rpower kits permit users to hook up their creations to an android or ios system , so they not only have working circuits , but may be remote - controlled .
shark tank fans will get further updates on the roominate crew and how its partnership with cuban and grenier has panned out . shark tank airs friday night at 9 p . m . on abc . beyond the tank , the show’s companion program that provides in - depth updates on entrepreneurs , is also due to return for a limited run this fall .
on shark tank , the women made an impression — not least on mark cuban , who agreed to invest with a condition : that his young daughters be able to watch them work . upstart business journal reported in december 2014 that the women had exchanged emails with the young cubans , along with images of what the girls had made with the roominate kits .
tooling : since getting started , we have gone through the mold making process multiple times . all of the plastic roominate parts are made by injection molding . every time we add new parts to the roominate system , we need to make new molds to produce them . when first shots come back from our mold makers , we’ll give them feedback on the fit between pieces . they’ll do revisions to the mold until the fit is perfect . our mold makers have experience making our products and are very familiar with our tolerance and fit requirements . it is likely that they’ll get the parts pretty close at first shots and only have to do minor revisions . we ' ve still built in plenty of time in case extra revisions are necessary .
we spent the next few months researching girls , talking to parents and teachers , and testing out new ideas for toys that could get more girls building and playing with circuits . after a whole lot of cardboard prototypes and testing with hundreds of girls , we came up with the original idea for roominate : a dollhouse that girls would construct and then wire up with working circuits .
the three decided they wanted to do something about it .
we realized that our own childhood experiences were integral in attracting us to math and science as adults ,
says chen . so they created roominate , a doll house construction kit – aimed at girls 6 to 10 years old – that mixes customization , diy assembly , and electronics . it ' s our new kickstarter of the week .
roominate is an award - winning line of wired building systems designed to inspire girls in stem ( science , technology , engineering , and math ) . kids can build , wire , and design the world they want to play in , and everyone makes something unique . from a light up golden gate bridge , to a bunny elevator , to a car wash with spinning brushes , anything is possible !
each roominate room kit is made up of laser - cut wooden parts for walls and furniture , some electronics parts to bring it to life , and decoration bits to enable interior design . the rooms are stackable and the parts are modular , allowing greater and greater customization , the more you have . the idea is that as kids play with the sets they ' ll act as an entry point to more interest in stem skills .
[ update : the folks from roominate have been in touch and have explained a little more as to what occurred here . they focussed on the motor because the children found that the most interesting . out of the box , the instructions were to build a fan . due to parental lack of imagination on our part , we didn ' t think about what other uses that motor might be put too . the roominate website contains a growing list of ideas including a washing machine , fireplace and elevator . that certainly expands the mind somewhat and relieves some of our initial disappointment . i only wish that the had included these ideas in the box so that the children could have worked through the projects at the time . again , it just goes to show how difficult it is establishing a new toy concept especially when creativity is involved . sometimes , we just don ' t see it . ]
having already hit its kickstarter goal , the team is now thinking about future improvements . the current version of roominate uses off - the - shelf parts , but the team is working on designing circuits that will require an order of custom parts .
we really wanted to make it possible for our electronics to be joined in parallel and in series ,
says brooks ,
however , there was no obvious solution that could come from off - the - shelf components .
“when we looked around at girls’ toys today , we did not see the kinds of toys that inspired us when we were young , ” wrote alice brooks , bettina chen and jennifer kessler wrote at women 2 . 0 . so the three of them , all graduate students at stanford , formed a company they call “maykah . ” their first toy , roominate , updates the game of playing house : with circuits and custom - built parts , girls won’t just keep house but learn about what goes into building one .
roominate is a clever and unique construction set that blends the skills of building , creativity storytelling , and even circuitry into a toy that gets kids excited about learning . after its founders met in the master’s degree program of stanford university , one of the world’s most prestigious institutions for research and education , they learned that less than 15 % of women enter college intending to major in a stem ( science , technology , engineering , or math ) field . it was then that they agreed to make it their mission to inspire the next generation of inventors .
two of my favorite new stem toy companies of the past couple of years have been going through that process : light up , which i wrote about last spring , and roominate , which i wrote about in 2012 . i saw them both recently at makercon , and light up showed up again at a stanford showcase . ( a stem toy , by my definition , is a toy designed to be an easy entry point to science or engineering for kids who may never have tried either . ) both have changed quite a bit since i first saw them .
the two realized their love for engineering was influenced by the toys they played with as kids , toys that built confidence with hands - on problem solving and creativity . alice had her own saw as an eight - year - old , and bettina played with her brother ' s hand - me - down lego and lincoln logs . they set out to make these same experiences that inspired them accessible to all girls today . with roominate , they’re giving little girls the opportunity to engineer and create on their own . they’re inspiring the next generation of female technology innovators .
back in may i wrote about a kickstarter project that promised to address issues of gender differences in toys . called roominate , there would be a kit that not only included materials to build a doll house but electronics to wire it as well . the kickstarter video pointed to a house that was interestingly decorated but that had all manner of lighting and a fan installed with switches to make it all work . this looked like an extremely sensible way of broadening the play experience , particularly of girls , but maybe for all children . i promptly backed the project and waited for the kit to arrive .
to me that was the wrong call . what is distinctive about roominate is the electronics and it had to be about that . at the moment , it is way over - priced for what it delivers on . and moreover , it isn ' t likely to impress parents or kids . my daughter who is far more savage on toy design than i can ever be lamented to me .
look this is just a bunch of stickers . and then you have these instructions to fold a dog . what is this huge paper dog doing in my house ?
i guess it may be something to be blown away by the fan but the fan didn ' t have enough power . a lesson there for everyone .
bought this for an 8 year old girl . i wasn ' t sure if she would like it since she typically likes her dolls best . but we looked at some videos and pics on the website and became very interested . she built her first big project today . . . making amusement park swings . i just wish it included more than 1 motor and light . she has no interest in the stickers at this point . . . she just wants more pieces to be able to build more ! i highly recommend it for anyone looking for a different kind of toy for a young g irl ! although , i do think some boys would like this too ! they probably would not build
doll houses
but forts and contraptions ! the walls are all white and you tape paper to them to give it color so the possibilities are endless ! finally , i wish amazon carried the expansion packs that are available on the roominate website !
mark cuban , who in order to prove the versatility of roominate , was built a basketball court with complimentary airplane as a sample , was impressed with the success of the two female inventors . the ingenuity and dedication of the women brought out the family man that accompanied mark’s own success . with a net worth of over $ 3 billion dollars , mark expressed concerns that his two daughters may acquire a sense of entitlement , instead of the strong work ethic he developed . so , he made the entrepreneurs their first offer , the full $ 500 , 000 for 5 % of the business , but with one contingency , his daughters had to be a part of the project and have the opportunity to lean on alice and bettina as mentors . lori greiner took the opportunity to jump into the deal as well . known to her other successful entrepreneurs as the chickstarter , she was excited to join another project with passionate women set out to inspire and innovate .
the two women entered the shark tank seeking an investment of $ 500 , 000 for a 5 % interest in their company . they began with a simple argument on the influence that toys can have on what type of person everyone grow ups to be . that favorite toy that you loved as child , was it playing with a fire truck , or picking out clothes for a doll ; what effect did that have on you , and what effect is it having on our children ? what was even more compelling was the roominate argument : what if that board game , was an actual construction set that let you actually build those hotels , what if those crayons you used to draw pictures was actually a toy that let you design your own prototype ? for alice , co - owner of the business , her turning point came when she asked her father if santa claus would be bringing her a new barbie for christmas , a few weeks later she opened her shiny new saw ! her father’s words , “build the dream house yourself . ” ever since , she was passionate about engineering .
brooks , and jennifer kessler all studied math and science in school . but year after year , they noticed a problem .
as we got to higher levels of study , the number of women in our classes continued to decrease ,
says books . she ' s not wrong . the numbers of women pursuing careers in stem fields ( science , technology , engineering and mathematics ) are
every young girl is an artist , engineer , architect & visionary .
we can get behind that .
as much as the project is intended to be a learning tool for children , its development has been an ongoing learning process for its creators . the toy was prototyped while the founders were participating in startx , the stanford student startup accelerator . they ' ve approached the problem methodically , iterating through countless designs and getting prototypes into the hands of children to see how they use them .
a lot of work and tradeoffs go into making toys for young kids . you want the toys to be safe , easy to use , and idiot - proof while at the same time , the whole point it to encourage experimentation and unexpected results . early testing revealed how big a challenge this would become .
we had not realized how rough the kids would be with our product ,
brooks says . the team had to rethink how to build components that could stand up to the punishment of daily play .
the electronics needed particular attention . the final design uses single molex connectors , which insulate both the wires and the connections ,
completely protecting little fingers from touching any actual wires ,
says chen . they similarly designed their circuits to make shorting the battery impossible .
the walls and furniture were also carefully deliberated . they are working on minimizing the number of different shapes needed to create the furniture and walls . the fewer types of parts needed in a kit , the more modular it will be , allowing kids more options for customization .
it is important to us that the design is as modular and flexible as possible ,
says kessler .
their other wishlist item is a laser cutter of their very own . with that , kesseler says , they could bypass their biggest expense – paying to cut the wood on a per - hour basis .
since we are committed to delivering our kits to our kickstarter supporters at cost ,
she says ,
having our own laser would allow for more pieces per kit ( and more possibilities ) .
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one of the cool things about living in silicon valley is getting to watch companies grow up . we see the words on temporary tenant boards outside tiny offices in downtown palo alto become household names and move into ever more stunning corporate campuses . ( we forget the ones that disappear , of course . ) and as products evolve from rough prototypes , we see founders grow and change with them . it’s always nice when we see products and founders that captured our imagination go through the process of maturing and getting out into the world .
the latest change : dolls . because after all , what’s a dollhouse , even one with a working doorbell and turning fans , without dolls to live in it .
is the company booming ? not yet ( and they’re not talking specifically about sales ) but their products are in some key catalogs like fatbrain .
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sounds pretty cool , right ? mark cuban thought so too and he wasn’t alone .
the women asked the investors for an investment of $ 500 , 000 and offered 5 % equity for it . cuban offered $ 500 , 000 for 5 % if his daughters can be a part of it . lori greiner offered to split with mark , and have the product on qvc within four months . while the other investors passed on the product .
four startups are shaking up the toy industry with products designed to teach concepts such as coding , robotics , and engineering .
forget barbie dolls and hot wheels . today ' s hot new toys are teaching kids how to innovate . armed with new research linking childhood play and technical aptitude , entrepreneurs are shaking up the $ 22 billion toy industry .
parents , eager to give their children an early advantage , are clamoring for toys that teach concepts such as coding , robotics , and engineering .
it ' s the geek - chic trend ,
says adrienne appell , spokeswoman for the toy industry association .
it ' s cool to code , and parents see the potential .
but for a new toy to take off , it must be more than just educational . it has to be fun .
how early can a child learn to code ? turns out , kids as young as 5 can grasp basic programming concepts , according to new research . that ' s what inspired former google manager vikas gupta to start play - i . his mountain view - based company makes blue toy robots that can be programmed using a simple ipad app to roam around , pick up objects , and tell stories . gupta , who has two young children , believes that programming skills will be essential to kids in the future , regardless of their jobs . to get kids engaged , he gave the robots personalities and names : bo ( $ 169 ) and yana ( $ 59 ) . after raising $ 1 . 4 million on kickstarter - - well above play - i ' s $ 250 , 000 goal - - the company received another $ 8 million in venture capital in march . play - i , which has 15 employees , plans to start shipping the toy robots this fall .
programmer dan shapiro hated playing board games like candy land , but he wanted a way to spend quality time with his preschool - aged twins . so while on leave from google last year , shapiro made up his own board game , called robot turtles , that uses turtles , mazes , and tokens to
sneakily
teach kids programming skills - - without using a computer . shapiro raised more than $ 630 , 000 from backers on kickstarter last september and quickly sold out of the $ 25 game . shapiro did not intend to start a board - game company , so he licensed the game to toymaker thinkfun to boost production . robot turtles will be in retail stores this summer .
eight years ago , mit graduate student ayah bdeir set out to build a toy that did for electronics what legos did for construction . the result ? littlebits , construction kits that contain tiny circuit boards , motors , sensors , and lights that kids can use to create their own motorized toys . no wiring is required : all of the pieces snap together with magnets . since littlebits launched in 2011 , the new york city - based company has raised more than $ 15 million in funding . more than 1 , 800 schools use its $ 100 kits in classrooms . bdeir says the kits help kids understand how an elevator door or night - light works - - and they ' re making their own creations , such as racecars and robots .
it ' s much more than a toy ,
bdeir says .
it ' s an invention tool .
and arrive it did just last week . the first thing you ' ll notice is the packaging . here is a picture .
it is very gender neutral . it could so easily have been all flowers and pinks but instead it shows the toy ; specifically , it does not show a kid with a specific gender . kudos for that .
my kids couldn ' t wait to play with it . all of them , girl ( 8 ) , girl ( 13 ) and boy ( 11 ) fought for the rights but first dibs went to the 8 year old . what i was expecting was a kit with plastic materials for walls and furniture , a few decorative items and a lot of electronics . well , we got the plastic but not the electronics . there was one item ; essentially , a motor for a fan , and connectors to a switch and battery pack . that was it . no lights . no options for how to integrate electronics in the doll house . just a fan .
now according to a tweet , the fan was there because it was the electronic item that excited girls the most . sadly , that wasn ' t the case for my daughter . she wanted to put more into it than that . it certainly didn ' t excite me enough .
what the kit did come with was an abundance of decorative items . there were tons of stickers but these were all of the flowers , butterflies and dolphin variety . in the end , the kit was just like a traditional doll house craft project with a single fan and a $ 60 bill .
our playmonster friends from automoblox and marbleocity are rolling at the us science & engineering festival in washington dc this weekend . if you’re in the area , they’d love to see you .
the duo of alice brooks and bettina chen appeared on shark tank on september 26 , 2014 , to inspire the sharks to see the opportunity in revolutionizing the construction set industry by focusing on engineering and circuitry , as well as the education of young girls .
chris went to school at the university of maryland , and while rooting for the terps , he began his career of freelance writing . now a college grad and a passionate teacher , he enjoys taking the time to write articles and research the next big thing .
a teen actor , finn wolfhard is best known for playing the character of mike wheeler in the popular sci - fi series , stranger things . his most . . .
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now you can design , program , and control your world . every girl is an artist , engineer , architect , and visionary !
kids can build , wire , and design anything they imagine . . . then play for hours !
you can make motors spin faster and slower , reverse direction , turn lights on and off , and set lights to blink .
we started talking about why we chose engineering and realized we shared something in common : toys inspired both of us ! we loved engineering before we even knew what the word meant . for alice , it was her own saw , and for bettina , it was building elaborate lego creations with her brother .
we put our idea on kickstarter in may 2012 , and the response was overwhelming . we set up manufacturing and shipped out rewards in december 2012 .
thank you so much to everyone who backed our original project , shared it with friends , and cheered us on . we would not be where we are today without you ! we are so grateful for your support .
with your help getting launched , we ' ve spent the past 3 years building our company and continuing to improve our products for you .
we ' ve already started tooling for rpower . we hope to get your support on kickstarter so that we can launch tooling for our new circuits system earlier than otherwise possible .
manufacturing a physical product comes with a lot of potential risks and delays . we’ve gained 3 years of experience since our first kickstarter campaign . we delivered on our first campaign within our target of 6 months and have gained really valuable experience manufacturing at scale since then . we’ve built buffer into every step of the process to account for the risks that we’ve identified .
freight : there is always a chance of port delays or additional customs screening time , both of which are beyond our control . we’ve had both happen to our shipments in the past , so we’ve built extra time into our delivery schedule in case either or both happen .
delivering rewards : our fulfillment center has been in operation since 1989 and has extensive experience in working with both startups and well - established companies . for the past two years , they have handled all of our online orders from individual customers , as well as larger shipments from our retailers . they have also worked with many other companies to ship kickstarter rewards .
two classroom sets make the ultimate classroom ! over 2 , 500 pieces are included in this set .
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no financial details of the sale were disclosed and the stanford grads plan to join the wisconsin company but remain based in silicon valley . it had raised about $ 3 million and employed less than 10 .
brooks and chen hit the national spotlight after appearing on
shark tank
in the fall of 2014 , winning investments from investors mark cuban and lori greiner .
that came after the company raised its first round of funding through a kickstarter campaign in may 2012 , raising nearly $ 86 , 000 , easily surpassing its $ 25 , 000 goal .
“we are excited and honored to take on a concept that gets girls excited about engineering through play , ” patch products ceo bob wann said in a press release about the deal .
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electrode , comp - 185576016 , dc - prod - dal1 , env - prod - a , prof - prod , ver - 7 . 5 . 0 , sha - b16318c7d1d0d398de738a55c15a2143b115ef36 , cid -
science toys for girls are often , well , terrible . while boys get cool explosions and slime , girls get “beauty spa lab” and “perfect perfume lab . ” and everything is always , as a rule , pink . but a team of female engineers are trying to buck that trend . they’re developing toys for girls that will actually inspire young women to go into math and science .
parents could start ordering toys last week , although the final price hasn’t been set yet . the maykah team hopes that their toys will help put a dent in the highly skewed gender ratio found in the engineering world , where only about 25 percent of the tech - force is female .
rose eveleth is a writer for smart news and a producer / designer / science writer / animator based in brooklyn . her work has appeared in the new york times , scientific american , story collider , ted - ed and onearth .
whale milk is some of the richest milk available to any mammal . a baby whale will drink 150 gallons of it a day to sustain its dramatic growth .
for six weeks , luna moth caterpillars gorge themselves on the leaves of the marula tree . then , when they ' re ready , they instinctively weave giant cocoons around themselves in preparation for their stunning metamorphosis .
the superheros creator , william moulton marston , was a harvard - trained psychologist and inventor and infused his daily life into the comic book .
in 1992 , christopher mccandless set off to test if he could survive alone in the wilds of alaska . it didn ' t go as planned .
da vinci ' s the last supper plays a key role in the 2006 blockbuster hit the da vinci code . although the film ' s claims are more fiction than fact , could the painting actually contain a message from leonardo ?
what ' s the difference between england , britain and the u . k . ?
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chen told madison reed that the toy fills a need . parents are often forced to choose toys from the “girls” aisle or the “boys” aisle , which can limit what exposure both genders receive . that’s significant since play is part of children’s early learning experiences .
“parents feel obligated to shop by those [ gender ] categories . give your kids the opportunity to explore different paths and find the one they’re really interested in . ”
chen’s comments were published in madison reed several months before one massive retail chain , target , announced it was eliminating gender segregation in its toy aisles . as media studies professor rebecca hains wrote in the washington post in august 2015 , “gender - based marketing” became widespread in the 1990s as a way for businesses to sell twice as much stuff to parents .
“for both of us , we found that it was really toys we played with when we were younger that really got us building and tinkering and making things with our hands — things that really drew us toward engineering in college . ”
“being in a rigorous learning environment taught us that not everything is going to happen exactly as you plan it , which is certainly the case with starting a new business . ”
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the source code for the wiki 2 extension is being checked by specialists of the mozilla foundation , google , and apple . you could also do it yourself at any point in time .
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alice brooks and bettina chen , the founders of maykah , inc . , met in the master ' s degree engineering program at stanford university . the two launched their first prototype on kickstarter and raised us $ 85 , 000 from a us $ 25 , 000 funding goal . [ 2 ] the team participated in startx , a business incubator for stanford entrepreneurs , in 2012 , and partnered with edforward , the center for innovation in education at the uc davis school of education , to create a series of educational activity guides to accompany the kits . [ 3 ] [ 4 ]