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Innovative minds taking little contraptions to the next big thing

Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Paul Erickson was convinced he had the perfect solution to airline security problems: a panic button worn by flight attendants.

By KAYLEY MENDENHALL Chronicle Staff Writer

When the button on the device was pushed and held, a video camera would focus on that part of the plane, alerting the cockpit and monitors on the ground that there was trouble brewing.

"We believe if they would have had this system, they would have saved at least a couple of planes," Erickson, a former Bozeman police officer, said. "We had an idea whose time had come."

But, after months of meetings and talk, neither the government nor the airline industry wanted to pay for research, development and implementation of the system, which would have cost $3,000 to $30,000 per plane.

"No one had the guts to step forward," Erickson said.

So Erickson and his partners shifted gears. They started a new company called Innovative Solutions and Technologies which takes ideas for inventions and makes them into patentable products. Tucked in a corner of the Revelation Industries building on East Oak Street, IST is an office of gadgets set to be the next big thing.

"We are trying to make products that everybody needs," Erickson said.

One of those products, the Side Winder, was recently patented and is already being manufactured and marketed to stores.

The $20 cell-phone charger and flashlight is a palm-size, orange plastic contraption with a hand crank.

"If you were stuck in a snowstorm and no one knew you were there and your cell phone was dead, this could save your life," said Wendal Baker, IST’s research and development engineer. "If you crank for three minutes, you can talk for five minutes. It uses a patented circuit I designed, that does not require batteries and will never wear out."

Bob Wards and Sons Sporting Goods has agreed to sell the Side Winder and Erickson and Baker are already working on accessories — such as a device that can ignite just about anything, including wet wood, in an emergency.

"Most people die, not from starvation in the woods, not from loneliness," Erickson said. "They die from exposure."

Accessories for the Side Winder should be available by Christmas.

Baker is traveling to China next week to work with manufacturers. Although IST would like to have the labor done locally, Erickson said they just can’t afford to pay the costs and keep the price of the product reasonable. The company supports a sales division and contracts with local mechanical engineers, but for the most part, Erickson and Baker run the show.

"We want to be innovative," Erickson said. "When people hear ‘Side Winder’ or ‘IST’ they will know the products are quality and will stand up."

Kayley Mendenhall is at [email protected]

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