Cirque Corporation Technology Selected by Volcano Corporation for Use in New IVUS Controller

June 23, 2007 (PRLEAP.COM) Technology News
SALT LAKE CITY – June 23, 2007 – Cirque Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alps Electric Co., Ltd. and a leader in the capacitance technology industry, today announced that its touchpad products have been selected by Volcano Corporation for use in Volcano’s new intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) console.

Cirque’s technology was selected for Volcano’s s5i Bedside Touchpad Controller due to its configurability, ease of integration and its sealed design – crucial for medical applications – in addition to other benefits it offered over similar technologies.

The Volcano controller is a compact touchpad configured for button input and cursor type control that allows physicians to operate the Volcano IVUS system without having to leave the sterile field. Using the touchpad for the input device makes the overall size of the device significantly smaller than that of the previous product generation.

“For physicians, staff and patients to benefit from the simplified workflow of Volcano’s integrated s5i IVUS system, it was essential for us to provide bedside control of the s5i from the convenience of the sterile field,” said Joe Burnett, associate vice president of marketing for Volcano Corporation. “Our research and development team searched through a number of different control point options, and the flexibility and customization of the Cirque touchpad controller provided us with the compact solution we have been looking for.”

In addition to the medical field, Cirque’s original GlidePoint technology has applications in multiple products and an ever-growing number of markets. It is currently found in laptops, keyboards, handheld devices and countless other computing devices throughout the world. It enables complete navigational control of any graphical interface, packed in a space-saving, low-friction and extremely durable touchpad.

“The sealed design of our Glidepoint touchpads is optimal for medical environments, and it’s a great fit for Volcano’s new IVUS controller,” said Douglas Moore, vice president of Cirque. “Volcano is a highly valued customer, and we look forward to continuing to work together in the coming years.”

For more information or for sales, please visit www.cirque.com or call 800-454-3375.

About Cirque
Founded in 1991, Cirque is the original developer of capacitive touchpad technology. From the beginning, its original GlidePoint technology has provided the core of each new development of its touch-input solutions. In early 2003, Cirque was acquired by Alps Electric Co., Ltd., a $5.9 billion world leader in manufacturing electronics. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Alps, Cirque is considered the center of technology development for capacitive touch solutions. Cirque maintains independent development, production, sales and distribution facilities in Salt Lake City. For more information, please visit www.cirque.com.

About Volcano Corporation
Volcano Corporation offers a broad suite of devices designed to facilitate endovascular procedures, enhance the diagnosis of vascular and structural heart diseases and guide optimal therapies. The company’s intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) product line includes ultrasound consoles that can be integrated directly into virtually any modern cath lab. Volcano IVUS offers unique features, including both single-use phased array and rotational IVUS imaging catheters, and advanced functionality options, such as VH™ IVUS tissue characterization. Volcano also provides functional measurement (FM) consoles and single-use pressure and flow guide wires. Currently, more than 2,600 Volcano IVUS and FM systems are installed worldwide, with approximately half of its revenues coming from outside the United States. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.volcanocorp.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Curtis Gasser, Politis Communications, 801-523-3730(wk), cgasser@politis.com
David Politis, Politis Communications, 801-523-3730(wk), 801-556-8184(cell), dpolitis@politis.com