Foothills resident invents safety mirrors

Rear blind spots

Every vehicle has a rear blind spot and its range depends on the height of both the driver and the object behind the vehicle. Using a standard 28-inch traffic cone, Consumer Reports found rear blind spots ranging from 13 feet to 53 feet with the implication being that many small obstacles, particularly children, easily can be hidden from view while the vehicle is in reverse.

Backup assist systems for rear blind spots are either camera, radar or ultrasound-based. Aftermarket backup assist systems are available from American Road Products, EchoMaster, Guardian Alert, HitchCam, Roadmaster, Rostra and VisorView.

Frost & Sullivan expects camera, radar and ultrasonic backup assist installations on North American-produced vehicles to grow to $182 million in 2012. While radar and ultrasonic systems require multiple sensors typically installed on rear fascias, aftermarket camera-based systems can be installed around license plates and tied into the growing number of screens installed for navigation systems.

Even with good visibility through vehicle windshields and side glass, blind spots are inherent in vehicle design. Electronic systems help augment driver vision for areas around vehicles that we wouldn't see otherwise.

Robert Cavin is a senior consultant with the Frost & Sullivan North American Automotive & Transportation Practice. He focuses on monitoring and analyzing emerging trends, technologies and market behavior in original equipment and advanced technologies segments of the automotive market in North America.

A RETIRED HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER and driving instructor from Ahwatukee has invented a mirror intended to eliminate the blind spots that can lead to fatal back-up accidents involving children.

Lowell Martinson's ScopeOut mirror mounts inside the vehicle or on the rear trunk of a car to eliminate the blind spots immediately behind and to the sides of SUVs and minivans. "In some vehicles, blind zones span more than 50 feet behind the vehicle, Martinson says.  "A small child wouldn't stand a chance of being seen if the driver didn't have some type of auxiliary safety equipment installed."

ScopeOut mirrors, sold by Sense Technologies, provide almost complete visibility to the driver when backing up or changing lanes on the freeway.  $99.95 (for a dual mirror set). 800-677-1638.

Be sure to check your blind spots with ScopeOut

Be sure to check your blind spots with ScopeOut

Sense Technologies Inc. plans to launch a blind-spot mirror for vehicles on the Home Shopping Network in August.

The ScopeOut mirror, billed as the Chandler company's flagship product, will be featured on HSN's "Garage" segment Aug. 7 at 2 a.m. 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Sense Technologies Vice President of Operations Lowell Martinson, inventor of ScopeOut, will be on hand to explain how the mirror is installed and how it enhances driver safety when backing up or changing lanes.

"We are thrilled to be affiliated with the original shopping network on television. We think that having multiple opportunities to present ScopeOut to the millions of faithful HSN audience members will play a crucial role in helping to get the word out about this valuable solution for eliminating driver blind spots. ScopeOut solves problems that all drivers can relate to, so we're confident it will rapidly gain popularity with viewers," said Sense Technologies President Bruce Schreiner.

The company also sells Guardian Alert, a Doppler awareness-based rear sensing device. For more: www.sensetech.com.

Be sure to check your blind spots with ScopeOut

Posted May 22nd 2008 8:34AM by Jeremy Korzeniewski

There have been many inventions in the last few years in order to reduce accidents due to that age-old hazard, the blind spot. Some solutions, like the electric systems on some higher-end brands like Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Buick, are rather high-tech and probably prove quite useful. Still, there's something to be said for simple engineering, like Ford's upcoming new Blind Spot Mirror, as seen here. If you are into simple solutions, but won't be purchasing a new Ford any time soon, perhaps you'd be interested in ScopeOut, a new rear-mounted mirror system designed to help see objects in your path. Because it's mounted on the rear glass, the system is visible from your rearview mirror.

Available as either a single-mirror unit for smaller vehicles or a larger dual-mirror unit for large vehicles and SUV's, perhaps the ScopeOut could reduce the thousands of crashes due to the blind spot.

Drivers Can Now ScopeOut Blind Spot
5/9/2008

A new aftermarket automotive safety accessory just might be a rider's new best friend. The ScopeOut, from Sense Technologies, is a new mirror system which improves a driver's view of their blind spots. The ScopeOut has the potential to reduce motorcycle/car accidents caused by the driver not seeing the rider while reversing out of parking areas ore during lane changes.

ScopeOut, www.sensetech.com, is an exciting new automotive safety product that protects drivers from blind zones when reversing out of parking areas or changing lanes in traffic. The inconspicuous lightweight polymer unit installs on the interior of the vehicle's rear window, where it provides drivers with an expansive, lateral view of potential dangers such as children, bicyclists, pets, motorcycles or fast-moving traffic. More at MotorcycleUSA.com

Luci Scott
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 2, 2008 11:37 AM

How many times have you been parked in a lot next to a huge vehicle, and you slowly backed out blindly, hoping not to be hit by another vehicle?

"You have a pickup truck on one side and an SUV on the other side, and when you're backing up, you can't see," said Walter Waltz,an independent insurance agent from Gilbert.

However, he has a gadget on his car that he says saved a young girl's life, and another time prevented him from being hit by a driver in a truck barreling down a parking lot aisle at Chandler Fashion Center.

Called ScopeOut,the safety product is a palm-size series of mirrors placed on a car's back window that provides greater visibility to the driver.

Waltzwas in the Bashas' parking lot at Alma School and Queen Creek roads, backing up slowly when suddenly he spotted a small girl running ahead of her mother, and he hit the brakes.

"If I didn't have ScopeOut, I would have run over that little girl," Waltz said. "I would have never seen her in time to stop. I just sat there and I had a cold sweat, it was so close."

The inventor of ScopeOut is Lowell Martinson, an Ahwatukee man who has his office in Chandler.

"Visibility in parking lots has vanished, and blind spots have increased," Martinson said.

Such problems inspired him to start work on ScopeOutseven years ago. He tinkered with cardboard, modeling clay, Styrofoam and then a prototype made with a mold ejection machine.

"If I knew how much was involved, I probably wouldn't have tried it," he said. "There are so many different angles that come into play. All the windows have different angles in the back. It was a lot more complicated than it looked."

A driver looks at the inside rear-view mirror and at the ScopeOut box to see down the street in both directions.

There are two versions of ScopeOut. The one for passenger cars is mounted inside the back window. On an SUV, minivan and station wagon, it is mounted on both corners of the back window. Neither one works on pickups.

The cost is $129.99 for the SUV version and $119.99 for a car's.

ScopeOut isn't in retail stores yet, but it can be purchased from Sense Technologies. Martinson, a Minnesota native, is also working on a deal with a major home shopping network.

This isn't Martinson's first invention. He patented and manufactured a toy called Sok-O, a paddleboard with a hole in the middle to shoot the ball through.

While ScopeOut allows a driver to see people and vehicles to the left and right, another product sold by Sense Technologies called Guardian Alert allows a driver to know if a person or object is directly in back of a vehicle. Guardian Alert works with Doppler radar.

Blind spots have fatal consequences. A 22-month-old boy was killed in Queen Creek in September when his father, believing the toddler was in the family's home, backed over him.

Waltz, who escaped two close calls, describes ScopeOut as "the most wonderful thing that's ever come along."

Sandy Rathbun Reports
Device guards against driveway back-up accidents

There are still no charges against a babysitter who ran over and killed one of the children she was watching.

It happened Thursday afternoon outside the babysitter's home southwest of Ajo Way and Kinney Road.

Pima County Sheriff's Deputies say somehow the child ran behind an SUV without the babysitter noticing.

Adelita Camacho was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Now, a new invention just out on the market could help prevent some back-up accidents from happening.

It's probably happened to you.  You want to back up, you check your rear view mirror and it looks clear.  

But it's not.  

Now you can add a new vehicle safety device called ScopeOut.  

A Phoenix man invented the system to give drivers new vision.  

The way it works, special mirrors are mounted to prevent you from backing up blind.

Inventor Lowell Martinson explains, "Before you even begin to back out, you glance into your inside rearview mirror into the ScopeOut and you've got a complete view of that street in both directions."

Martinson says it's also helpful when you're on the road changing lanes.  

He says, "It picks up that blind spot that everybody has a problem with."

Martinson's mirrors don't see directly behind a vehicle like sensors and cameras do. Instead, the mirrors see on both sides, which the other systems don't.

Martinson says, "We've heard that 85 percent of the accidents, it's coming into the impact area. It's either running, walking, bicycles, cars, vehicles, whatever."

The $300 mirrors can be installed on any vehicle. Broadway Volvo sells and installs them in Tucson.  

Tony Salvemini, Broadway Volvo parts and service director, says, "We have the version here which is for sedans, and there is also another model that would work on sport utilities."

Chris Devonshire, a Broadway Volvo technician, got the first one installed on his work vehicle.

He says, "It's made it a whole lot easier for me to back out of some areas that I'm not familiar with."

Sema News

	ScopeOut is a system of specially designed safety mirrors that are mounted at specific points on the vehicle to guard against vehicle blind spots. According to the company, this specialty-equipment safety device installs within minutes and
provides drivers with 270 degrees of rear visibility, allowing them to see a panoramic view behind them as well as approaching traffic and pedestrians to the rear and sides of the vehicle and hazards while changing lanes in traffic. Two models are available, one for cars and one designed to fit most SUV's, minivans, station wagons or hatchbacks. Sense Technologies states that either model fits a wide variety of vehicles, can to installed within minutes and can be removed at any time without altering or damaging the vehicle. Once installed, ScopeOut is built to last for years and is impervious to wind noise, wind vibrations, car wash damage or to extreme weather conditions. Dealer and fleet pricing available. Sense Technologies Inc. 480/474-4309 www.sensetech.com

The Arizona Republic
Oct. 15, 2006

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS

Blind-spot car mirrors will be sold in Mexico

Mirrors designed by an Ahwatukee Foothills man to reduce vehicle blind spots are going to be distributed in Mexico.

Sense Technologies Inc., a company that is producing the ScopeOut mirrors, has signed an agreement with AmerTrade InterNational Group to let AmerTrade be the master distributor in parts of the Southwest and Pacific states and Mexico. AmerTrade is based in Green Valley.

The mirrors were invented by Lowell Martinson, who is now vice president of operations for Sense Technologies.

The mirrors are mounted on the trunk of a car or back interior windows of an SUV, minivan or other similar vehicle. They enable drivers to see more when changing lanes or backing up.

www.sensetech.com

Motor Age - Hot Auto Products - August 1, 2006

Betty Beard
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 12, 2005 12:00 AM

An Ahwatukee Foothills man who invented a special set of vehicle mirrors designed to reduce blind spots is finally about to see his product show up in stores.

All the Fry's Marketplace stores and some Ace Hardware stores are expected to begin selling the ScopeOut mirrors designed by Lowell Martinson by the end of the month. The product is being introduced in Arizona first before it goes to other states.

"Once it is in the stores, I think it is going to be a great feeling," he said. "It's just getting to that point."

The mirrors are designed to help motorists get a better look at what is behind them, such as walls, trees, fences, mailboxes and especially children who dart in behind a vehicle. more...

SAFETY & HEALTH
ITASCA , IL
MONTHLY  68,000
AUGUST 2005    

Backing mirrors

ScopeOut provides drivers with 270 degrees of rear visibility, allowing them to see a panoramic view behind and to detect oncoming traffic from both directions.  The system is a set  of specially designed mirrors mounted at specific points on the vehicle. The system also protects against lane change blind spots.

SENSE TECHNOLOGIES

Lincoln Journal Star
Lincoln , NE
Daily 75,659
July 15, 2005
Just for parents

Safe family = happy family

     Summer is in full throttle.  With all the fun, it’s hard to think about safety.  But reality is, summer is also the prime time for accidents when it comes to kids.

     Here’s some new safety devices on the market designed to take some of the worry out of the season:

• Guardian Alert – This Doppler radar system is designed specifically to detect children or pets directly behind a vehicle.  Installed on the bumper or trailer hitch receiver, the radar device patrols the entire width of the vehicle all the way to the ground and approximately 9 feet behind the vehicle.  It sells for $300 and is available at Sense Technology (866) 617-2327 or at Sears online at www.sears.com/autosafety.  

READING EAGLE
Reading , Pennsylvania  www.readingeagle.com    WEDNESDAY   June 22, 2005
BLIND TO DANGER

Onboard video, radar systems Cut risks, maker, advocate say
From our news staff

       Janette Fennell, founder of the safety-advocacy group Kids and Cars, said there are several options to help compensate for blind spots on automobiles.
     Most notably, she said, cameras can be installed in vehicles, allowing drivers to see what’s behind them on a small television screen.
     Also, sensors can be placed on the rear of vehicles to alert drivers if something is behind them.
     “There’s a lot of technology,” Fennell said.  “We really want to see it put to use.”
     Kids and Cars, based in Kansas , is lobbying in support of a federal bill that would require automakers to install technology that would prevent children from being backed over.
     Sense Technologies Inc., is a Nebraska company that makes a product called the Guardian Alert Backing Awareness System, which uses Doppler radar to warn drivers about objects behind their vehicles.
     Lowell Martinson, sales and marketing director, said the device can be installed on any vehicle.  Placed on the bumper, it senses an area nine to 12 feet behind the vehicle.
     “It’s geared for safety,” Martinson said.  “It’s so people don’t back over kids or pets or objects.”
     Both visual and audio alarms signal if something is detected in the vehicle’s path.

Motor Age
June 2005

Sensing Devices  

The Guardian Alert Doppler Awareness System uses Doppler microwave technology to warn drivers of hazards when backing up.  It is compatible with any vehicle and is impervious to weather conditions and dirt.  Its three-stage audio-visual warning system detects obstacles in its path, measures diminishing distance and eliminates false warnings from objects that won’t collide.

ABRN (Automotive Body Repair News)

June 2005

Sensing Devices  

The Guardian Alert Doppler Awareness System uses Doppler microwave technology to warn drivers of hazards when backing up.  It is compatible with any vehicle and is impervious to weather conditions and dirt.  Its three-stage audio-visual warning system detects obstacles in its path, measures diminishing distance and eliminates false warnings from objects that won’t collide.

Modern Tire Dealer

June 2005

Sensing Devices

The Guardian Alert Doppler Awareness System uses Doppler microwave technology to warn drivers of hazards when backing up.  It is compatible with any vehicle and is impervious to weather conditions and dirt.  Its three-stage audio-visual warning system detects obstacles in its path, measures diminishing distance and eliminates false warnings from objects that won’t collide.

Birmingham Times
April 7, 2005

Guardian Alert® rear sensing device offers drivers Doppler radar technology

    The problem of vehicle blind spots is a concern for vehicle owners, and ironically, drivers who often have the most child-friendly vehicles – vans, SUV’s, high profile pick-up trucks and certain cars – are often the ones with the largest blind spots and worst rear visibility.  In response to the need for a dependable, easily installed and affordable rear-sensing safety device, Sense Technologies, Inc., www.sensetech.com, has developed the Guardian Alert® Doppler Awareness System, which uses sophisticated Doppler microwave technology to warn drivers of impending hazards when backing up.  Able to easily detect objects, Guardian Alert® is compatible with any vehicle, is easily installed in minutes, and it alerts drivers using a highly accurate, maintenance-free system that is impervious to weather conditions and dirt. more...

Because of their size, sport-utility vehicles and minivans create a blind spot for the driver when going in reverse. In response, Sense Technologies, Omaha, Neb., is marketing Guardian Alert, a microwave device that can detect objects up to 12 feet behind a vehicle.

Guardian Alert sends the driver an audible and visual warning. The sensor detects the presence of targets by the resultant Doppler shift caused by an object moving toward the vehicle or the vehicle's movement toward an object.

"Trucking companies have historically had a very high incidence rate of back-up crashes," said Gerry McIlhargey, president of Sense Technologies. "Now that consumers are driving larger vehicles, it becomes an issue for them as well. In addition to costly accidents resulting in property damage, there have been alarming instances across the country where small children have been run over because a vehicle operator failed to see them."

The Guardian Alert device is not affected by rain or snow It is powered by a vehicle reverse-light circuitry, which instantly activates it once the vehicle is put into reverse. There are nine standard models available, and they cost between $325 and $579.

Arizona Republic Article - Inventor Has A Backup Plan (ScopeOut)

Every vehicle has a blind spot that can be deadly. And now that vehicles have gained so much weight, ballooning into SUV's and big pickup trucks, those blind spots have only gotten bigger. They cause motorists to miss seeing vehicles or back into fences, walls, bicycles – and even pedestrians or children.

Last month, a Mesa father accidentally ran over his 20-month-old daughter after she darted out of the house toward the back of his Chevrolet Suburban, according to police. She fell under his rear tire and died.

Ahwatukee Foothills resident Lowell Martinson hopes to eliminate such tragedies and blind spots with a set of mirrors he has designed and expects to have on the market in the fall. The ScopeOut mirrors are designed for sedans and SUV's to give drivers a look behind their vehicles.  more...

Automotive Engineering International Online

Sense Technologies, Inc. says its Guardian Alert backup warning system for trucks is the first available microwave system that detects objects and indicates their distance behind a vehicle.  The device, powered by a truck's reverse light circuitry, provides both visual and audible warnings for objects up to 3.7m (12ft) away and works in all weather and light conditions.  The unit's 10.5 GHz transmitting frequency does not interfere with law enforcement radar or other devices.  The detection zone extends 2.4m (8 ft) in width and 1.8 m (6 ft) in height.