A Porter Ranch resident has what he believes is a solution to the problem of unintended acceleration in vehicles – when a car zooms out of control and the brakes cannot overcome the power of the engine. Jim Reynolds designed his device with the assistance of Paul Janson, an inventor with a background in computer science and business. Together they are getting the word out on the Fail-Safe Throttle Bottle before trying to market it to car companies. “This is really the ultimate solution,” Reynolds told the Business Journal in a phone interview. “There are other concepts on how to do this, but nothing as complete and simple as this.” The issue of unintended acceleration has been around for decades. In 1987, for instance, there was a recall on the Audi 5000 for the problem that resulted in more than 700 accidents and six deaths. More recently Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor Corp. found itself in hot water over its Toyota and luxury brand Lexus cars speeding out of control in the mid-2000s. There were 89 deaths and 52 injuries attributed to the company’s vehicles. The U.S. Department of Justice levied $1.2 billion in civil penalties against Toyota in 2014. Reynolds and Janson have identified the throttle body – the part of the car with the air intake system that controls how much air flows into the engine – as the key to preventing out-of-control vehicles. “By dropping a little bit of intelligence and a power transistor in there, which costs almost nothing when compared to the cost of the car, you virtually completely protect the car,” Reynolds said. The throttle body already has a circuit board that would be easy to attach a microprocessor to. The software code for the device would be able to diagnose the cause of the acceleration and give a proper solution for whatever the circumstances, he added. While stressing the importance of solving the acceleration problem, both Janson and Reynolds are not moving forward with getting the device into cars. Janson said his preference is to have automakers come to them rather than try to negotiate with the arduous bureaucracies of such large companies. Another route the pair can take is working with Congress and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to let them be aware of what they came up with and how it can solve a serious problem. Scary Light Season Halloween has come and gone for the year and once again Gantom Lighting and Controls found its miniature LED lights in use at haunted attractions in Southern California. Quan Gan, chief executive of the Valencia company, said Frightfest at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita used the company’s lights. Its torch technology, which allows for interaction between guests and an attraction, was used in the Trick or Treat: Lights Out maze at Knott’s Berry Farm. Additionally, Gantom supplied some “99 percent” of the lights used at the “It” Experience, a haunted house in Hollywood in connection with the September release of the film of the same name, Gan said. “Our lighting products are found in pretty much every major theme park,” he added. “We light up a lot of the Disney stuff, Universal, Six Flags and Knott’s Berry Farm.” The compact size of Gantom lights allows them to be hidden in the attractions. The company’s closest competitor, said Gan, makes a light the size of a football hung from a truss. Gantom takes the same technology and packs it to the size of an egg, he added. The torch technology the company developed is a wireless connection with an infrared sensor placed in an object. For the Knott’s Berry Farm maze, it was in a flashlight guests carried that gives the impression they are in control and which makes the effect all that more intense. “We can turn it on, turn it off, make it flash and even make it vibrate in your hand in synch with thunder and lighting,” Gan said. In addition to Gantom, Gan also founded and operates ZTag, a company that puts on a zombie-inspired laser tag game using the torch technology. Gantom has a media division that publishes a quarterly magazine and operates social media sites about Halloween and haunted attractions. Staff Reporter Mark R. Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or [email protected].