Retroreflective sheeting is widely used in a variety of applications today, after early widespread use on road signs in the 1960s.
High-visibility clothing High-visibility clothing frequently combines retroreflective sheeting with
fluorescent fabrics in order to significantly increase the wearer's visibility from a distance, which in turn reduces the risk of traffic-related accidents. Such clothing is commonly worn as (often mandatory)
PPE by professionals who work near road traffic or
heavy machinery, often at night or in low-visibility weather conditions, such as
construction workers,
road workers and
emergency service personnel. It is also commonly worn by
cyclists or
joggers to increase their nighttime visibility to road traffic. High-visibility clothing typically come in fluorescent colors like yellow, orange, and red, as these shades are highly visible in various lighting conditions and are internationally recognized for safety use. It designed according to specific standards to ensure effectiveness. In Canada, these requirements are outlined in the CSA Standard Z96-15 (R2020), various types give differing levels of retroreflection, effective view angles, and lifespan. Sheeting has replaced
button copy as the predominant type of retroreflector used in roadway signs. There are several grades of retroreflective sheeting which include the three major grades: engineer grade, high intensity prismatic (HIP) and diamond grade. Within these categories are further delineations based on material used and visibility distance. Diamond grade typically has the greatest distance for visibility of the three major categories.
For barcode labels Barcodes can be printed onto retroreflective sheeting to enable scanning up to 50 feet away.
In motion pictures The special effects technique of
front projection uses retroreflective screens to create false backgrounds for scenes shot in studios. Front projection was used in
2001: A Space Odyssey during the "Dawn of Man" sequence. Other films that have used front projection techniques include
Silent Running,
Where Eagles Dare and
Superman.
Star Wars episodes IV, V and VI used retroreflective sheeting for the
lightsaber blades.
Autonomous vehicle navigation Reflective tape is used to provide an explicit way to do
optical navigation of
autonomous vehicles. For example, strips of retroreflective tape are used to provide
navigation inputs to the prototype
Hyperloop pod vehicles on the
SpaceX Hypertube test track. == References ==