EAC - Voluntary Voting System Guidelines

Name : | James Johnson
Organization : | N/A
Post Date : | 9/30/2005
Section Comments
Section : | 6.7
Page no. : |
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Comment : | Infrared (IR) light emitted by IrDA compliant devices, at peak power emits at about 300mW using an IR LED. If directional LED or solid state lasers are used an operator would looks directly at the emitter on the TS terminal (required when pointing the control unit at the terminal), thus being exposed to a higher level of IR radiation over a longer period of time. The focusing property of the eye causes it to concentrate power in the 400 – 1400 nm range, potentially damaging the retina. IrDA devices transmit in the infrared portion of the spectrum (875 nm), and is not visible to the unaided eye. HP’s specification for their OmniBook 800 notebook computer recommends not looking directly at the LED emitter. Because compliance is not mandated in the NIST/IEEE specifications, the power level could be increased by the manufacturer to allow Election Officials the convenience of using the devices at a longer distance. Should all voting terminals equipped with IrDA ports be required to be placed in windowless rooms? IrDA devices are typically designed for use in line of sight applications. Because of the nature of infrared light, it penetrates glass or other transparent objects and reflects off walls, ceiling, mirrors and other surfaces. It is possible for signals to be exchanged between two devices that are not in direct line of sight and from a device that is outside of the room. Note that even if the voting terminal’s transceiver was IrDA compliant the remote would not have to comply in either transmitted power or receiver [signal strength] sensitivity. Using such a device the voting terminal could be communicated with from extended distances. [Statements submitted to NIST Technical Guidelines Development Committee]