Power of Strobe Lights
A stroboscopic lamp, or the strobe, is a device used to produce flashes of light at specified intervals of time. It has applications everywhere from home uses, to clubs, the medical field, anti-collision lighting for aircraft, and for lighting on emergency and police vehicles. Strobe lights have many qualities which make them useful in a variety of applications. They have piercing brightness that can be programmed with ease to display any strobing pattern and they sit on advanced light engines making them light and dexterous.
Strobe lights are great for displaying short messages, such as “Exit” markings in buildings or “Danger” signs to warn the public. Since the eyes see what the brain allows them, by carefully timing many joined strobe lights it is possible to create the effect of motion. Another application is lighting in theaters to create different mood effects. It is also common to see them as high-visibility running lights on law enforcement vehicles. Scuba divers use them in emergency situations as signaling units.
In the medical field, strobe lights have been used to view the slow motion movements of vocal cords during speech, in a procedure known as video-stroboscopy. Another common application is the use of strobes in optimizing the efficiency of car engines at specific rotational periods. This is achieved when a strobe light is pointed towards a mark on the fly-wheel on the main axle of the engine.
Strobe lights are especially well adapted for applications in police and emergency vehicle lighting. The clear, sharp probe light alerts other drivers and allows them to know that official police work is going on. It is difficult to stand out on crowded highways where every driver is using earplugs and is busy on the cellphone or listening to music, so something strong and effective is needed to get their attention. This is in addition to the other diversions on the road like street signs, pedestrians and other drivers on the road that have the full attention of every person driving a car. The penetrating brightness of a strobe light is sure to get everyone’s attention.
In addition to getting other drivers' attentions, strobe lights are a good way of protecting the officers when they are doing their jobs. When an officer is pulled over on a busy highway and needs to step out of his vehicle, he is in danger of not being noticed by other drivers on the road. This could lead to a serious accident - having the strobe lights flashing makes all drivers sit up and take notice.
Strobes have low energy requirements and this is another reason they are well suited to police work. Some strobes can even be powered by solar panels, thus doing away with the need of special wiring or batteries. Finally, they are very low maintenance, which reduces the downtime of a police vehicle. Thus, the vehicle spends more time on the road, where it is needed and minimal amount of time in the workshop undergoing wiring or bulb replacement work.
