Daily News Briefs

Philips Electronics' design group, Philips Design, and the Helen Hamlyn Research Centre at the Royal College of Art in London have collaborated to produce an interactive lighting exhibit, "Glowing Places," that will make its US debut at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, being held this week in Park City, Utah. Transparent outdoor furniture (see photo at right) embedded with LED strips and sensors will measure the number of visitors who sit on them and how long they sit, to create corresponding lighting effects designed to enhance social interaction in public spaces. . . . Dashboard displays lit by organic LEDs (OLEDs) are making their debut in three new automobiles, the Aston-Martin DB9, the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Chevrolet Corvette. The new instruments were built by Yazaki Corp., which says they offer a high contrast ratio, low voltage and power consumption, cold temperature operation, a nearly perfect 180-degree viewing angle and thin, lightweight construction. . . . Teradyne Inc.'s Connection Systems Division announced it has assembled a team to develop and introduce new products and processes to meet printed circuit board (PCB) technology requirements for the future. The team is comprised of veteran PCB engineers who will be committed full-time to the project, the company said. The division also announced nearly $2 million in recent capital investments that will expand its existing technology capabilities, including a laser direct imaging system and an automated nomenclature machine. Implementation of Electrolytic Ni-Au, capable of 54" panels, is also underway. Teradyne is a Nashua, N.H.-based supplier of automatic test equipment and interconnection systems.