![]() What resulted was a spinoff of a spinoff: the SunTiger lens for every natural and artificial environment. They used computer analysis to design sunglasses for various light environments, including mountain, desert, and fluorescent-lighted office settings. If the eyes are not protected during welding, the intense light that is produced can lead to a condition called arc eye, in which ultraviolet light causes inflammation of the cornea and long-term retinal damage.įollowing the completion of the welding project, Stephens and Miller turned their attention to the related matter of protective glasses. Over the course of 3 years, Stephens and Miller - with help from several other JPL researchers - used this methodology to create and commercialize a transparent welding curtain technology that absorbs, filters, and scatters light to maximize protection of human eyes from the harmful blue and ultraviolet radiation that emanates during welding. (Zinc oxide, which absorbs ultraviolet light, is also found in sunscreen lotions that protect the skin from sunburn.) Pairing the findings from their initial studies with what they learned from the bird studies, the scientists devised a methodology to incorporate the light-filtering/vision-enhancing dual-action benefits into a filtering system, using light-filtering dyes and tiny particles of zinc oxide. Accordingly, birds of prey possess the ability to distinguish their targeted prey in natural surroundings and from great distances. These oil droplets absorb short-wavelength light rays which, in turn, reduce glare and provide heightened color contrast and definition for optimal visual acuity. While working to apply their space research to these terrestrial applications, Stephens and Miller became engrossed with previously discovered research showing evidence that the eyes of hawks, eagles, and other birds of prey contain unique oil droplets that actually protect them from intensely radiated light rays (blue, violet, ultraviolet) while allowing vision-enhancing light rays (red, orange, green) to pass through. The two scientists were tasked with studying the harmful properties of light in space, as well as the artificial radiation produced during laser and welding work, for the purpose of creating an enhanced means of eye protection in industrial welding applications. The technology, first featured in Spinoff 1987, sprung from breakthrough research carried out by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) scientists James B. ![]() It is alive and well today in the form of eyewear that caters to the needs of any lifestyle. Developed in the 1980s, the original SunTiger, Inc., sunlight-filtering lens has successfully withstood the test of time. ![]() While fashion styles are known to come and go, a certain "shade" from the past has proved otherwise. ![]()
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