55-627: Laser Quest is a British indoor laser tag franchise founded in Manchester , United Kingdom in 1989. Its laser tag games use infrared (IR) hand-held units and vests. Laser Quest's oldest centre is located in Stourbridge , West Midlands , England . In 1993, Laser Quest had begun operations in North America, where it would operate several locations in the United States and Canada. Its headquarters
110-455: A St. Louis, Missouri , HVAC company, Albert Arno, Inc., trademarked the name "Ductape" for their "flame-resistant" duct tape, capable of holding together at 350–400 °F (177–204 °C). In 1971, Jack Kahl bought the Anderson firm and renamed it Manco. In 1975, Kahl rebranded the duct tape made by his company. Because the previously used generic term "duck tape" had fallen out of use, he
165-483: A 100% accuracy. This prevents players tagging one person with their first tag and then hiding for the rest of the game. As it is possible to tag multiple players with one tag, it is possible for a player's accuracy ratio to exceed 100%. In team games, the team score is the sum of all similarly colored players' individual scores. The hardware and software used limit what types of games a Laser Quest center can hold. Up to four different groups of settings can be created; it
220-487: A biological, chemical, or radiological terrorist attack by assembling a "disaster supply kit", including duct tape and plastic (presumably to attempt to seal one's home against nuclear, chemical, and biological contaminants), among other items. The recommendations followed an increase in the Department's official threat level to "orange", or "high risk", citing "recent intelligence reports". According to press reports,
275-434: A code of conduct before play, some may still cheat. One of the main ways in which players cheat is by taking duct tape into the arena and placing it over the sensors. Although duct tape does not completely stop the sensor from getting tagged, it does make the play difficult. Most cheating is stopped by the marshal instantly and will have the player ejected from the game for that type of behaviour. Laser pointers do not work as
330-623: A corporate tournament called the North America Challenge, or NAC. To qualify for NAC, members from a particular centre hold a series of try-outs. The top nine players, plus one potential alternate, then go to one of three regional tournaments held in June of each year. The top teams from each of these regional tournaments will then proceed to the continental tournament, typically held in September. The top teams from each regional tournaments compete in
385-492: A corresponding sensor was manufactured and marketed in 1979 as the Star Trek Electronic Phaser Guns set to accompany the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture . In 1982, George Carter III began the process of designing an arena-based system for playing a scored version of the game, a possibility which had initially occurred to him in 1977 while watching the film Star Wars . The Grand Opening for
440-474: A heated liquid mixture of rosin and rubber from inner tubes . In 1923, tape pioneer Richard Gurley Drew at 3M invented masking tape , a paper-based tape with a mildly sticky adhesive intended to be temporarily used and removed rather than left in place permanently. In 1925, this became the Scotch brand masking tape. In 1930, Drew developed a transparent cellophane -based tape, dubbed Scotch Tape . This tape
495-536: A name that comes from the use of a specific variety of duct tape that was supposed to withstand up to 100 mph (160 km/h; 87 kn) winds. The tape is so named because it was used during the Vietnam War to repair or balance helicopter rotor blades. Duct tape's widespread popularity and multitude of uses has earned it a strong place in popular culture, and has inspired a vast number of creative and imaginative applications. Duct tape occlusion therapy (DTOT)
550-479: A pack with infrared sensors. Players start the game in a large multi-level maze -like arena filled with ramps, catwalks and windows. In Laser Quest centres, the playing arenas are filled with theatrical fog and black light , strobes and UV-reactive painted surfaces. While play can seem chaotic, there are rules that are enforced. Players recite a "Player's Code" in the Briefing Room, where they go to learn how to play
605-430: A speaker to indicate the status of the pack, a trigger, and an LCD to display the status of the pack to the player. The IR unit is what emits the visible laser the eye sees and the invisible IR beam which "tags" the opponent's packs. The laser has a display in the rear. When a player is tagged, it displays the codename of the tagger and the location of the tag. It also occasionally displays the player's current ranking as
SECTION 10
#1733085580043660-446: A standardized game, a player gains ten points when tagging another, and loses points corresponding to the above scale when tagged. Players may also be awarded bonus points based on their accuracy—usually 10 points for every 1% hit rate. Players achieving a hit rate of 10% are awarded 100 bonus points. In a standard 'Solo' game, this bonus is limited to a maximum of 100 points, far less than the theoretical maximum of 1000 points awarded to
715-471: A two-person canoe (with duct tape paddles), a two-person raft, Roman sandals , a chess set , a leak proof water canister, rope, a hammock that can support the weight of an adult male, holding a car in place, a bridge that spanned the width of a dry dock, and a full-scale functional trebuchet with duct tape as the only binder. In the episode "Duct Tape Plane", the MythBusters repaired (and eventually replaced)
770-710: Is a method intended to treat warts by covering them with duct tape for an extended period. The evidence for its effectiveness is poor; thus it is not recommended as routine treatment. However, other studies suggest the duct tape treatment is more effective than existing medical options. Duct tape is often used in shoe repair due to its resiliency. Duct tape has been used to temporarily fix Apple's iPhone 4 dropped call issue , as an alternative to Apple's own rubber case. The Duct Tape Guys (Jim Berg and Tim Nyberg) have written seven books about duct tape, as of 2005 . Their books have sold over 1.5 million copies and feature real and unusual uses of duct tape. In 1994 they coined
825-830: Is a recreational shooting sport where participants use infrared -emitting light guns to tag designated targets. Infrared-sensitive signaling devices are commonly worn by each player to register hits and are sometimes integrated within the arena in which the game is played. Since its birth in 1979, with the release of the Star Trek Electronic Phasers toy manufactured by the South Bend Electronics brand of Milton Bradley , laser tag has evolved into both indoor and outdoor styles of play, and may include simulations of close quarter combat , role play -style adventure games, or competitive sporting events including tactical configurations and precise game goals. Laser tag
880-399: Is a result of constant firing and dodging, as players are not directly penalized for missed shots. The average is 6% ratio of accuracy. Downtime is defined as the period of time after a player is tagged that they remain deactivated. After the downtime has expired, the de-activated player's pack will re-energise and they are able to play as before. Although all players are required to recite
935-688: Is commonly used in situations that require a strong, flexible, and very sticky tape. Some have a long-lasting adhesive and resistance to weathering. A specialized version, gaffer tape , which does not leave a sticky residue when removed, is preferred by gaffers in the theatre, motion picture and television industries. The product now commonly called duct tape has largely been displaced in HVAC uses with specialized foil tapes designed for sealing heating and ventilation ducts (sometimes referred to erroneously as "duct tapes"). Common duct tape carries no safety certifications such as UL or Proposition 65 , which means
990-432: Is made of a thick canvas-type material that hangs over the shoulders. When laid out flat on a table the vest forms a diamond shape. Sensors placed on various parts of the vest covering the chest, the back, and each shoulder. "There are additional sensors housed within the hand-held 'laser' unit located at the front, and both sides of the laser." The sensor on the chest’s housing is also home to a small motor, that vibrates when
1045-603: Is normal for everyone on a team to have the same settings, though this is not required. When giving packs within a team different settings, the packs will not be visibly different in-game, with the exception of 'sentinel' packs that have the ability to give lives and ammunition to teammates. These packs are identified by an alternate light pattern on the front and back sensor. The settings which can be altered are: The number of shots used can be quite large; in certain game types, players routinely fire 3000+ shots. This will give an accuracy rate of perhaps 5%. This seemingly low amount
1100-410: Is often confused with gaffer tape (which is designed to be non-reflective and cleanly removed, unlike duct tape). During World War II , Revolite (then a division of Johnson & Johnson ) developed an adhesive tape made from a rubber -based adhesive applied to a durable duck cloth backing. This tape resisted water and was used to seal some ammunition cases during that period. "Duck tape"
1155-418: Is often held irregularly dependant on player interest. The current format of the tournament is 6-man teams compete in quad or triple quest prelim games, then depending on their prelim rank they will either play the cup or plate knockouts which are pack-set double/triple quest games. The top teams in the cup and the plate will then go onto the finals which are pack-set double-quest games. Laser Quest used to hold
SECTION 20
#17330855800431210-502: Is popular with a wide range of ages. Laser tag tournaments are staged for local, regional/state, inter-regional, national, bi-lateral international, and international levels. In late 1970s and early 1980s, the United States Army deployed a system using lasers for combat training . This MILES system functioned like laser tag in that beams are "fired" into receivers that score hits. The first known toy to use infrared light and
1265-472: Is provided by various pigments; the usual gray color comes from powdered aluminum mixed into the LDPE. Two tape widths are common: 1.9 in (48 mm) and 2 in (51 mm). Other widths are also offered. The largest commercial rolls of duct tape were made in 2005 for Henkel , with 3.78 inches (9.6 cm) width, a roll diameter of 64 inches (160 cm) and weighing 650 pounds (290 kg). Duct tape
1320-536: Is recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary as having been in use since 1899 and "duct tape" (described as "perhaps an alteration of earlier duck tape") since 1965. The first material called "duck tape" was long strips of plain non-adhesive cotton duck cloth used in making shoes stronger, for decoration on clothing, and for wrapping steel cables or electrical conductors to protect them from corrosion or wear. For instance, in 1902, steel cables supporting
1375-537: Is still sold in the United Kingdom. Ultimate Duck, T-Rex Tape, and the competing Gorilla Tape all advertise "three-layer technology". After profiting from Scotch Tape in the 1930s, 3M had produced military materiel during World War II and by 1946 had developed the first practical vinyl electrical tape . By 1977, the company was selling a heat-resistant duct tape for heating ducts. In the late 1990s, 3M's tape division had an annual turnover of $ 300 million and
1430-534: The Lazer Tag toys from Worlds of Wonder and several other similar infrared and visible light-based toys. Worlds of Wonder went out of business around 1988, and Photon soon followed in 1989, as the fad of the games wore off. Today there are laser tag arenas all over the world bearing various names and brands, as well as a large variety of consumer equipment for home play and professional grade equipment for outdoor laser tag arenas and businesses. In March 2009, upon
1485-792: The Manhattan Bridge were first covered in linseed oil then wrapped in duck tape before being laid in place. In the 1910s, certain boots and shoes used canvas duck fabric for the upper or for the insole, and duck tape was sometimes sewn in for reinforcement. In 1936, the US-based Insulated Power Cables Engineers Association specified a wrapping of duck tape as one of many methods used to protect rubber-insulated power cables. In 1942, Gimbel's department store offered venetian blinds that were held together with vertical strips of duck tape. Glue backed or impregnated adhesive tapes of various sorts were in use by
1540-562: The Winnenden school shooting , the German government announced that it would ban games such as laser tag and paintball , claiming that they trivialize and encourage violence. It later retracted this assertion. In 2010, a news article appeared claiming that Lee Weinstein developed and opened the first commercial laser tag facility. In June 2011, the ILTA posted the results of a public record request from
1595-399: The 1910s, including rolls of cloth tape with adhesive coating one side. White adhesive tape made of cloth soaked in rubber and zinc oxide was used in hospitals to bind wounds, but other tapes such as friction tape or electrical tape could be substituted in an emergency. In 1930, the magazine Popular Mechanics described how to make adhesive tape at home using plain cloth tape soaked in
1650-477: The City of Houston showing the opening date for Weinstein's "Star Laser Force" to have been 16 April 1985. Laser tag systems typically use infrared signaling to track firing of the beam. In indoor play, a visible light combined with theatrical fog typically provide the visual effect of firing, while having no actual role in transmitting the fire signal. Despite the name, laser tag equipment does not fire lasers , due to
1705-1256: The Netherlands. The tournament is held annually, with the location alternating amongst participating countries. The current format of the tournament is 6-man teams compete in triple-quest prelim games, then depending on their prelim rank they will either play the cup or plate knockouts which are pack-set double/triple quest games. The top teams in the cup and the plate will then go onto the finals which are pack-set double-quest games. ELC Results 'Orange Bulls' Doetinchem , NL 'Westside Posse' Bristol , UK 'Freestylaz' Guildford , UK 'NWO' Woking , UK 'Ruff Riders' Eindhoven , NL 'Holland Antje' Doetinchem , NL 'Big Uns' Eindhoven , NL 'Team Win' Swindon , UK 'DTC' Cannes , FR 'Team Win' Swindon , UK 'Sorry Team' Toulouse , FR 'Phoenix Cende' Coignieres , FR 'The Tribe Called Quest' Guildford , UK 'Team Win' Coignieres , FR 'Badgers' Guildford , UK 'Team Win' Coignieres , FR 'Team Win' Swindon , UK 'LQ Legends' Eindhoven , NL 'LQ Legends' Eindhoven , NL 'Badgers' Guildford UK 'Badgers' Guildford , UK 'NWO' Woking , UK 'Wolf Pack' Swindon , UK 'Badgers' Guildford , UK Laser tag Laser tag
Laser Quest - Misplaced Pages Continue
1760-541: The duck branding, four times a year, to 32,000 hardware managers. This mass of communication combined with colorful, convenient packaging helped Duck Tape become popular. From a near-zero customer base, Manco eventually controlled 40% of the duct tape market in the US. Acquired by Henkel in 1998, Duck Tape was sold to Shurtape Technologies in 2009. Shurtape went on to introduce a premium version called "T-Rex Tape". "Ultimate Duck", which had been Henkel's top-of-the-line variety,
1815-588: The first Photon center was in Dallas, Texas on 28 March 1984. Carter was honored by the International Laser Tag Association on 17 November 2005 for his contribution to the laser tag industry. The award is engraved "Presented to George A. Carter III in recognition for being the Inventor and Founder of the laser tag industry". In 1986, the first Photon toys were sold, nearly simultaneously with
1870-418: The game progresses. Laser Quest players gain points by tagging other players or by tagging the opposing team's base. They lose points when they are tagged by other players, or when they are caught in a trap. The number of points lost depends on where the player hit and game settings. The scale for a typical game is as follows: Players always gain more points for making a tag than they lose for being tagged. In
1925-561: The game. The Player's Code includes a vow not to run, climb, jump, sit, kneel, lie down, cover any sensors, make physical contact with other players, use offensive language, and to 'play hard, play smart, and play to survive!'. At least one employee or "Marshal" is present in the arena at all times, to ensure fair and safe game play and to make sure people enjoy their time. Every LQ centre is equipped with approximately 30 packs, also called vests or ponchos. This number varies with busier arenas having more packs to accommodate larger crowds. The pack
1980-544: The hit is determined by the IR beam and not the laser beam. Another way is what players call 'Spocking', when players makes a 'V' shape with their hands and blocks the sensor on the end of the laser. This tournament occurs every couple of years where teams and players from the US, Canada, the Netherlands, France, and the UK compete to be the best in the world. The WLC alternates between participating countries. WLC Champions This tournament
2035-540: The idea to seal the boxes with a fabric tape which she had tested. The letter was forwarded to the War Production Board, which put Johnson & Johnson on the job. The Revolite division of Johnson & Johnson had made medical adhesive tapes from duck cloth from 1927 and a team headed by Revolite's Johnny Denoye and Johnson & Johnson's Bill Gross developed the new adhesive tape, designed to be ripped by hand, not cut with scissors. Their new unnamed product
2090-434: The lives of the three astronauts on board. Ed Smylie, who designed the scrubber modification in just two days, said later that he knew the problem was solvable when it was confirmed that duct tape was on the spacecraft: "I felt like we were home free," he said in 2005. "One thing a Southern boy will never say is, 'I don't think duct tape will fix it.'" Duct tape, referred to as "...good old-fashioned American gray tape..."
2145-619: The national event to determine the best team in Laser Quest. Beginning in 1999, and continuing until 2007, the top five teams from each of the four North American regions advanced. Following a series of centre closures, and new centres opening, regional lines were redrawn and three regions formed. Changed again in 2010, each centre did not have a tryout, and teams were able to form their own homegrown teams, with 8 starters, and 1 extra for an alternate. Details This 9-man constructed team tournament consists of players from UK, France and
2200-424: The phrase "it ain't broke, it just lacks duct tape". The sitcom The Red Green Show 's title character often used duct tape (which he dubbed "the handyman's secret weapon") as both a shortcut to proper fastening as well as for unconventional uses. The series sometimes showcased fan duct tape creations. The series had a feature film based on it entitled Duct Tape Forever and several VHS/DVD compilations of
2255-449: The player has been hit. The infrared sensors are attached to printed circuit boards , which include several colours of LEDs , often red and green or red and blue, that light up when the pack is active. Each PCB is housed in a hard plastic cover. Part of each cover is made from clear plastic to allow the IR beams to reach the sensors. Inside the laser shell is the PCB with sensors and lights,
Laser Quest - Misplaced Pages Continue
2310-457: The potential dangers involved. Some laser tag may use additional equipment to simulate control points, respawn boxes, portable med kits, landmines, grenade launchers and hand grenades . Duct tape Duct tape (historically and still occasionally referred to as duck tape) is cloth- or scrim -backed pressure-sensitive tape , often coated with polyethylene . There are a variety of constructions using different backings and adhesives, and
2365-400: The show's use of the tape have been released. Since 2000, series star Steve Smith (as "Red Green") has been the "Ambassador of Scotch Duct Tape" for 3M . The Discovery Channel series MythBusters featured duct tape in a number of myths that involve non-traditional uses. Confirmed myths include suspending a car for a period of time, building a functional cannon, a two-person sailboat,
2420-405: The skin of a lightweight airplane with duct tape and flew it a few meters above a runway. Garrison Keillor 's radio show A Prairie Home Companion included comedic fictional commercials sponsored by the "American Duct Tape Council". The term duct tape alert refers to the recommendations made by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on February 10, 2003, that Americans should prepare for
2475-460: The square carbon dioxide filters from Apollo 13 's failed command module had to be modified to fit round receptacles in the lunar module , which was being used as a lifeboat after an explosion en route to the Moon. A workaround used duct tape and other items on board Apollo 13, with the ground crew relaying instructions to the flight crew. The lunar module's CO 2 scrubbers started working again, saving
2530-612: The tape may burn violently, producing toxic smoke; it may cause ingestion and contact toxicity, it can have irregular mechanical strength, and its adhesive may have low life expectancy. Its use in ducts has been prohibited by the state of California and by building codes in many other places. Research was conducted in 1998 on standard duct tape at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Environmental Energy Technologies Division, which concluded that under challenging but realistic conditions duct tape becomes brittle, fails, and may even fall off completely. Interviewer: And duct tape works in
2585-520: The term "duct tape" has been genericized to refer to different cloth tapes with differing purposes. A variation is heat-resistant foil tape useful for sealing heating and cooling ducts , produced because the adhesive on standard duct tape fails and the synthetic fabric reinforcement mesh deteriorates when used on heating ducts. Duct tape is generally silvery gray in color, but also available in other colors and printed designs, from whimsical yellow ducks, college logos to practical camouflage patterns. It
2640-516: The vacuum of space as well as it does here? Walker: Oh, yes. Yes, it does. It sticks. According to NASA engineer Jerry Woodfill duct tape had been stowed on board every mission since early in the Gemini program . NASA engineers and astronauts have used duct tape in their work, including in some emergency situations. One such usage occurred in 1970 when Woodfill was working in Mission Control, when
2695-460: Was able to trademark the brand "Duck Tape" and market his product complete with a yellow cartoon duck logo. Manco chose the term "Duck", the tape's original name, as "a play on the fact that people often refer to duct tape as 'duck tape ' ", and as a marketing differentiation to stand out against other sellers of duct tape. In 1979, the Duck Tape marketing plan involved sending out greeting cards with
2750-560: Was located in Mississauga , Ontario . However, in September 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic , Laser Quest announced they had ceased operations in North America due to the uncertain economic environment. To this day, Laser Quest continues to operate in the United Kingdom. The player's goal in Laser Quest is to tag opponents as many times as possible, while avoiding being tagged. The players are equipped with an infrared/laser hand held unit and
2805-418: Was made of thin cotton duck coated in waterproof polyethylene (plastic) with a layer of rubber-based gray adhesive (branded as "Polycoat") bonded to one side. It was easy to apply and remove and was soon adapted to repair military equipment quickly, including vehicles and weapons. This tape, colored in army-standard matte olive drab , was widely used by the soldiers. After the war, the duck tape product
SECTION 50
#17330855800432860-461: Was sold in hardware stores for household repairs. The Melvin A. Anderson Company of Cleveland, Ohio , acquired the rights to the tape in 1950. It was commonly used in construction to wrap air ducts. Following this application, the name "duct tape" came into use in the 1950s, along with tape products that were colored silvery gray like tin ductwork. Specialized heat- and cold-resistant tapes were developed for heating and air-conditioning ducts. By 1960,
2915-399: Was the US industry leader. In 2004, 3M released a semi-transparent duct tape, with a clear polyethylene film and white fiberglass mesh. Modern duct tape is made variously from cotton, polyester , nylon , rayon or fiberglass mesh fabric to provide strength. The fabric, a very thin gauze called " scrim ", is laminated to a backing of low-density polyethylene (LDPE). The color of the LDPE
2970-497: Was used by the Apollo 17 astronauts on the Moon to improvise a repair to a damaged fender on the lunar rover , preventing possible damage from the spray of lunar dust as they drove. In the US submarine fleet , an adhesive cloth tape is called "EB Green," as the duct tape used by Electric Boat was green. It is also called "duck tape", "riggers' tape", "hurricane tape", or "100-mph tape";
3025-475: Was widely used beginning in the Great Depression to repair household items. Neither of these inventions was based on cloth tape. The ultimate wide-scale adoption of duck tape, today generally referred to as duct tape, came from Vesta Stoudt . Stoudt was worried that problems with ammunition box seals could cost soldiers precious time in battle, so she wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943 with
#42957