Laser nightlights and assorted stupidity

[gashead]

This makes me sad...

He's received all this money and *if* he goes into production.. surely the product will be banned ?

The whole thing seems to be full of marketing speak and lacking in factuality.

The thing that *REALLY* concerns me is it's being marketed as a nightlight for use in kids bedrooms - this is the kind of product that my Son would love.. he'd be up all night playing in the beams.. let's just hope a 3 year old doesn't look directly into one!

I mean, is this guy serious ?? is he that much of an idiot that he thinks the claims he makes (regarding safety) stand ??

I'm guessing the product is manufactured in (or will be) China and drop shipped..

People really do just think Laser is "just a light" don't they. *sigh*

[Stiffler]

I'm sure the guy knew EXACTLY was he was doing & selling, and he just made half a million dollars!! Hell, if he's REALLY smart, he will never spend a dime having them manufactured & blame the FDA or some shit.

[mophead]

It would be nice if someone, in a LSO type position (for instance), could get their hands on one of these then prove it unsafe (if it ever goes to market). If the CDRH couldn't take care of it, I bet it would be of extreme interest to the CPSC (which loves protecting us from ourselves and taking companies down the tubes along with their product).

If that could happen before he skips the country with the money.... Yeah, well...

Hummmm, think I'll email the CPSC right now. Won't y'all join me?

[dsli_jon]

..Reportedly, he has-someone 'working on' helping make this compliant (..or, at least, getting the FDA to *think* it is.. ), and - again, it's not like this thing is 'a pound of C-4 in a soccer-ball', but.. Just (imo) terrible-idea to not have some sort of 'proximity-interlock', or.. some-way to prevent kids from sticking this thing in their / each-others' / their pets eyeballs, at point-blank, while lit, since - unlike 'similar products' out there on the market (ie: Blisslights, all the 'ChiCo. rip-off disco-vomit-lite versions of this concept..) *this* thing is purported - and shown - to be a *bedside, face-kissingly-safe* product! What - do we think kids are not gonna get access / listen to Mommy and Daddy saying '..now, Janey, don't put this thing closer tham 70mm to your eyes, ok, honey?..' >_<

.. I.. just don't get how the thing is gonna both be safe / compliant and not-disappointing as heck, once people get it and.. '..well, it' don't look like the pik-ture!!!' Then again.. if it either never makes it to-market, OR, if he does get them 'approved' / ships, etc, and people realize they've been (...at the very-least, misled / poorly-educated...)... 7,367 *is* quite a lot of 'torches and pitchforks'...

Ok, I'll shut up, now..
j

[dream beamz]

results are in, the raw diode laser outputs 25mw before it comes out the aperture of the firefly, once it comes out it is 13.5mw and an inch away because of the split i cant get more than 4mw total power. the hottest beam is 2.4 mw. I am not praising it but it is a lot better than I thought it would be. I am not a fan of marketing this to kids for nightlights is my main issue

it actually looks a lot brighter than its power. i had to get another meter to check to make sure it was correct

[steve-o]

Well at least no kids are gonna get blinded, I guess .. still, staring into a single 2.4mW beam for even a second will cause damage to the retina I would be fairly sure ..

[The_Doctor]

results are in, the raw diode laser outputs 25mw before it comes out the aperture of the firefly, once it comes out it is 13.5mw and an inch away because of the split i cant get more than 4mw total power. the hottest beam is 2.4 mw. I am not praising it but it is a lot better than I thought it would be. I am not a fan of marketing this to kids for nightlights is my main issue

it actually looks a lot brighter than its power. i had to get another meter to check to make sure it was correct

Whatever it is, you totally had me on 'aperture of the firefly'.

EDIT: Never mind, it sounded a lot cooler than it actually is, maybe. Sounds like it can't be safely built without making it more expensive than people will pay for.

[dsli_jon]

Hey G -

results are in...an inch away ... i cant get more than 4mw total power. the hottest beam is 2.4 mw...

Thanks for the 'homewerk' / posting results.. Just curious:

- How's the on-product 'labeling' / documentation? Does it (..at least try..) to 'scare the crap out of the parents', so there might be a chance that they won't just 'hand these to their kids' / use for toddlers? (..among those parents that bother to *read*, that-is..

- What size 'aperture' are you using, when you measured the 13.5mW, at-aperture? At least 10-14mm? (..figuring 'dark-adjusted' pupils, since these are "nightlights" for presumably dark bedrooms..) Curious, since there is no 'proximity-interlock', there's nothing to prevent kids from sticking this thing directly on / at the eye, and eyelashes are usually far-less than 'an inch' long, so.. that means the unfettered *potential* is 13.5mW of 450nm in kids' eyeballs.. Way to go, 'Richard'..

..and to all those that will say 'you're just being a fearmongering nanny', sorry, I reject that, on the basis that, again, there's no 'proximity-interlock' - I am sure they could have easily designed something, ie: perhaps an IR-sensor-based interlock, tuned so that the output would 'dim', when sensing body-heat, within, say 2', and 'increase attenuation' - right down to zero-output - when you / a kid got within 1'... *THAT* would make me, for one, feel a lot better.. Really - what *need* is there for it to 'remain lit', when you have it at point-blank??.. So-what if it had a 'soft-start', once you 'pressed ON', etc?? Walk away, and behold, there's yer nightlite, working as-advertised...

..Sure, you'd have to 'field a few calls' from the idiots that would (not-having read the documentation..) call up, yelling '..it don't work, dangbummit!!!' etc, but.. Aside from that, I'd think educated / informed parents would be thrilled to learn that the creators thought of such 'intelligent safety', and would be more than happy to pay the few extra-bux it would've cost...

..but, you know how it is, these days.. Greed-driven profit, over all.. Richard, may you fulfill *all* your wildest $$-dreams off sales of this thing, and - once some little Richie Rich baby does-get eye-damage from one of these stupidly-designed hurtballs - may all the purchasing-Parents unite and sue every hair off your rankid body.


bah...

[macpod]

I ran across someone with one of these FireFly units so I tested it with my power meter (20C-A-1-Y head). After running for about 5 minutes it reported 17mW.


Please note that I have never had my power meter calibrated.

Edit: Here's the warning label.

[mixedgas]

I still can't believe how much money this project has raised ($398,330), people are idiots!!!

Check out his patents some time, be afraid, be very afraid.

Steve