SBIR-STTR Award

The Mackinac Technology Company is proposing to develop a novel antireflection film that will virtually eliminate the reflection of interior lighting on transit bus windshields and significantly improve driver visibility and passenger/pedestrian safety. Additives are incorporated into windshield glass to reduce solar glare during daylight hours. These additives have the unfortunate effect of increasing the reflection of interior lighting at night. This problem is particularly troublesome for transit bus operators as they are required to maintain a minimum level of interior lighting for the passenger. The proposed SBIR innovation will result in a polymer film that, when adhered to the interior side of a bus windshield, will virtually eliminate reflection irrespective of the angle of incidence. This window film could be easily applied to existing bus windshields for a low cost solution to a critical safety challenge.

The Mackinac Technology Company is proposing to continue its Phase I development of a novel antireflection technology that will dramatically reduce the reflection of interior lighting on transit bus windshields and significantly improve driver visibility and passenger/pedestrian safety. Transit bus operators are required to maintain a minimum level of interior lighting while operating at night. This lighting reflects off the interior side of the bus windshield creating blinds spots that limit the drivers’ ability to see pedestrians and vehicles outside the bus. During Phase I, Mackinac demonstrated a novel antireflection coating that reduced reflection from 7% to 1.5% when applied to the windshield glass. The result is an increase in the distance from which a driver can see pedestrians by about 30 feet. During Phase II, Mackinac will continue development of this technology leading to full scale commercialization.