NEWS photos Brad Ledwidge FRED Nitsch (lefi), security division manager for West Vancouver-based Corona Integrated Technologies inc., and Corona president Ewout van Dishoeck stand by their product — artifi- cially created fog. TAKE YOUR OFFICE which includes: PENTIUM 166 RAM 16MB HDD 7 GB/3.2GB 56K MODEM 15° TOWER CASE 16 BIT SOUND CARD 4DX CD-ROM 3COM 509 NETWORK CARD 4.MG VGA PCI subject to change. limite "Cebnpuren 1 Ulinet impulse (Power Lite) 486DX2-66 Impulse 600 Canon n fog hits est Vancouver Many applications possible for mock mist Michae! Becker News Editor michacl@nsnews.com ROBBERS can’t take what they can’t see. ‘ Ewout van Dishoeck, president of Vancouver-based = Corona Integrated Fechnologies Inc., is clear about the point. shoeck and his company y division manager F itsch, are in the business of making fog. Their product, a thermal fog gen erator, works simply: a pressurize fluid solution comes into contact with a heater block and is heared to its boiling point to become a fine vapour fog. The machines can gener- ate thermal fog at a rate of approxi- mately 30,000 cubie feet per minute. Corona fog can be cither oil based or a misture of glycol and water. They say the fog is non-toxic and non-flammable. Nitsch notes there are numerous potential uses for the syst @ sccurity applications to foil smash- and-grab burglars; Bi firefighter training; § milicary applications; @ evacuation training; @ survival waini @ air-flow visualization, @ entertainment special effects. Van Dishoeck negotiated the rights to sell the smoke machines here about a year and a half ago. The tech- nology is not new. It was developed in the United Kingdom in 1962. “For whatever strange reason, the product never crossed the Atlantic,” he said. The technology was first developed for the BBC as a special effects device. “They wanted a machine that was as safe and as reli- able as possible. They asked an engi- eer fo come up with an artificial tog generator that met their criteria. They allowed the engineer to commercial- ize his new design,” said van Dishoeck. He said the machines are primari- ly used in the U.K. to aid with emer- gency training and for security pur- poses. “The real potential in the long run is in the security area.” Added Nitsch, “You can use this product around fashion, food, com- puters, art and all of that. Before the smoke would be wet and leave residue. The smoke is basically glycol and de-ionized water.” Because the water particles are small, they remain suspended for a long time. “When the owners come, they might open up a door or activate Texas Instruments P75 $188 P60 $599 (re-fu PCI Sound Card 486 Mother boards Moniters RAM Memory 56K Modem New & used hard disk drives ie $450 486DX-50 486 SX25 AN actor, portraying a burglar, ts blasted with fog as he enters a room protected by a thermal fog security device. a fan and get rid of this fog in no time. Even if it had time to settle, you still would not see a residue,” said Nitsch. When it comes to burglars the fog effect is meant to “shock and stop.” The high-pressure hissing sound of the fog being released and the sub- sequent rapid reduction of visibility is a deterrent, according to Nitsch. “It comes up so furiously fast and thick, they don’t even attempt to get in. Let’s say they do get in, they have no reference of navigation. Even if the door was left open there's so much fog being issued, they run. The alarm goes, the fog goes and they run.” Among the organizations present- ly using the Corona thermal fog devices: @ London’s Heathrow airport; @ NASA; @ Pinewood and Shepperton Film Studios; @ Vancouver Fire Academ: B® German Bundesmarine; Bi Walt Disney Imagineering; @ BC Ferries. BC Ferries uses the fog generators to train for emergency situations. The corporation also uses the fog to test the quality of various systems. Said van Dishocck, “If you push this stuff through pipes it emerges where it should to confirm the system works well or it emerges where it shouldn't and then shows a leak.” For more information call 1-888- 878-9433 or visit the company’s Web site at . Pentium mother boards (up tc 200MH) rbished) $58 $28 (new) $7-$10 from $48 Gest Prices Gusraatecd $48 (new) from $5 Quickbooks Pro Microsoft Office 97 Windows 98 upgrade (box)