Fiberstars Awarded Two Phase II SBIRs for Fiber-Optic Lighting

Fiber-optic lighting supplier Fiberstars Inc. of Solon, Ohio, today announced that it has won two Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards from DARPA, the central research and development organization of the Department of Defense. The SBIRs, totaling $1.5 million, were awarded for two Fiberstars research and development projects focused on advanced lighting systems for naval vessels. "Military ships at sea have unique lighting requirements that are not fully addressed by conventional systems," said Fiberstars CEO John Davenport. "We are working with DARPA to develop lighting systems with double the lifetime of conventional systems and that are highly resistant to heat and flame." Fiberstars received Phase I awards for these projects in 2005. To evaluate the designs, Fiberstars' metal halide LED fixtures will replace the Navy's current fluorescent fixturesfiber-optic lighting systems on three Navy ships scheduled for sea trials in early 2007. Fiberstars said its LED fixtures will save up to 90 percent of the power currently used on the ships' incandescent general lighting fixtures.