Jul 29 2008
In maritime circles there has been a battle raging for at least one thousand years; water vs equipment. This dilemma was magnified when electrical components where first brought aboard ship requiring electricity to live in close quarters with its natural enemy; water.
To date the solution to this problem has been the use of barriers to keep water away from components. From hard cases with synthetic gaskets to plastic amour found in electric cable, protecting a device from the conductive and corrosive properties of water has always been done external to the core components.
Sid Martin, Director of Technology at Northeast Maritime Institute, approached the problem from a different perspective. Listening to working mariners training at the Institute's facilities, Martin knew that protecting devices from marine environments needed to be done without adding size or complexity to the device.
With knowledge gained in the semi-conductor, aerospace and maritime industries Martin set out to protect every surface of a device; at the molecular level.
The results are impressive. During the testing process Northeast Maritime Institute has submerged an IPOD Touch, Blackberry Pearl, numerous VHF radios and other equipment without noticeable damage. One such device operated continuously while immersed in water for over 450 hours prior to failure.
"When Sid dropped his blackberry into the bucket of water my jaw dropped with it. I could hardly believe the result." -Captain John Konrad, gCaptain Blog
Providing a uniform, near hermetic coating Golden Shellback protects electronics exposed to water and resists both rain and humidity allowing them to continue working during and after direct exposure. The coating also has the ability to repel oil, synthetic fluid, hazardous material, sand, dust, and water-based substances.
No one is more excited by this development than Eric Dawicki, President of Northeast Maritime Institute. Having served in the Coast Guard and aboard large merchant ships Dawicki is confident this technology will not only help keep consumer electronics out of landfills but when offered to mariners, rescue teams and first responders it will save lives.
Additional uses for the technology are still being explored but the Institute has already responded to requests from medical device manufacturers, rescue professionals and consumers located around the world.
Golden Shellback coating is currently available to companies for application during the manufacturing process. Consumers can expect to get their existing devices shellbacked in the coming months.
For more information on water proofing, click here.