The Union-Tribune
Date: 30, January 2001

Better than 'The Clapper'

All Allan Ligi has to do is say "lights," and the lights in his office in Poway go on. At home, his daughters, Gina, 6, and Christina, 3, use more creative commands to control the lights: "Barbie" or the names of any of the PowerPuff girls.  What makes this possible is a $30 light switch made by Ligi's company, VOS Systems of Poway.

 If it sounds like it's something you might see on "Star Trek," you're right. That's where Rick Matulich, who started the company with Ligi on a shoestring out of their homes, got the idea.

 He was watching "Star Trek" one night when Dr. Julian Bashir entered the medical lab and said, "Computer, lights." And, voila, the lights went on.

 Matulich thought the concept was so cool that he talked Ligi into making voice-activated light switches. Ligi thought he was nuts.

 "My first thought was he might as well build a spaceship to Mars," Ligi recalled. "But I humored him."

 Turns out that Matulich's idea wasn't that far out there, and today, VOS System's IntelaVoice light switch is sold through specialty catalogs, like Hammacher Schemmer, and on the company's Web site at http://www.vossystems.com.

 The company plans to introduce voice-activated dimmer switches and a "Star Trek" collectible voice-controlled light switch in April. Also in the works is a voice-activated gas fireplace starter.

 Matulich admits that his idea was a bit ahead of the technology. For instance, the light switch doesn't work with every voice, and users must use a "commanding" voice instead of normal conversation when trying to turn on the light on or off.

 The light does, however, have a feature that allows a user to change the command to any word in any language.

 When I tried the switch at home, it worked just fine for me. But my 6-year-old son, Cameron, had trouble getting the switch to respond to his young voice.

 Even so, "it's cool," Cameron says.

-KATHRYN BALINT

VOS Systems Inc.
13000 Danielson St. Suite J, Poway, CA. 92064
(858) 679-8027
www.vossystems.com

For Further Information

RICK MATULICH, Press & Media Relations
Phone: (858) 679-8027
Fax: (858) 679-8929
E-Mail: rick@vossystems.com