Applied Physics Laboratories

Applied Physics Laboratories was founded on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University in 2010 by a group of engineering students who observed several hundred outdoor lights being on past 10:00 a.m. one spring morning under a blue sky. Further observation revealed that all outdoor lights stay on later than necessary in the morning, come on earlier than necessary in the evening, and also come on u

nnecessarily under cloudy or light rain conditions. Our challenge was to come up with a practical means to “teach” the lights where they are and what day & time it is. We decided that we needed an algorithm that determines switch times based on latitude, longitude and date. Over the course of 2010 and 2011 data collection was performed in the everglades where there exists zero light levels at solar midnight. The result of these efforts is our highly complex astrophysics theorem we call“Quantification of Refractive Photon Diffusion” which in laymen’s terms calculates opportune time of day to switch an outdoor light as a function of latitude, longitude and day of year. Electrical engineering, environmental testing, field testing, stress testing & UL Listing all occurred in 2011 and 2012. The product received UL Listing in September 2012 and is now “market ready”. There are 131 million outdoor lights in the USA according to a 2010 University of Pittsburgh streetlight study. Problems attributable to outdoor lights staying on during daytime hours include:

• the immediate cost of the wasted energy
• shortened lifespan of the bulbs and ballasts& the respective annual maintenance costs
• pollution, greenhouse gases, air quality & global warming
• filling up our landfills with more bulbs than necessary
• increased foreign energy dependence on those who want to harm us

Our product is competitively priced at only $30 per unit and provides greater than 100% return on investment the first year on virtually every type of outdoor lighting system. We offer lifetime warranty and 24/7 service & support to customers located in Lee County, Florida. The company is owned and operated exclusively by students and alumni today. Manufacturing takes place in our state-of-the-art factory located in Fort Myers, FL. Tours are available to area academic institutions where students learn about physics, engineering, robotics, electronics manufacturing processes, green technology and business administration.