Our Team

Robert M. “Bob” Lantis - President, Founder, and Chief Technical Officer

In 2006, Bob Lantis founded AquaSolix Corporation (formally Photon Inventures LLC) with a vision to create the next generation of clean-tech water and air remediation technology.  Mr. Lantis’ ground-breaking product innovation is supported by over 30 years of progressive and multi-disciplinary experience in the broader field of high technology, including:

• More than 15 years developing ultraviolet (UV) light technologies for water and air remediation.
• Over 25 years developing UV products for photochemical processing of materials.
• More than 15 years developing high power excimer laser UV systems.
• Over 25 years of high-voltage pulsed power and electro-optics industry work.

Awards and Distinctions:

• TiE-Smith Fellow in Entrepreneurship, Smith School of Business, University of Maryland (2006).
• Frost & Sullivan 2004 Product Innovation Award
• Holder of several UV remediation patents and/or patents pending

Past affiliations:

Co-founder, LightStream Technologies (1998-2006)
Served as Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, and Director.

While affiliated with LightStream, Mr. Lantis conceived, developed, patented, and produced unique ultraviolet (UV) disinfection technologies targeted at municipal water treatment applications. His very first product for LightStream introduced the industry’s first (and to-date, only) large-scale water disinfection product that provides performance-based, real-time and Constant Optimum Dose operation. By delivering a new generation of pulsed UV lamp-based disinfection, this new technology overcame the disadvantages of the continuous-wave lamp-based systems (including toxic mercury and imprecise prediction-based operation), thereby meriting the prestigious Frost & Sullivan 2004 Product Innovation Award for the advanced water treatment market sector.

Significantly, Lantis achieved this with out-sourced contractors and essentially no direct engineering staff.

Independent Consultant to the Laser Industry (1997-1998)

Supporting clients around the world, provided existing and new optoelectronics products development, UV processes and products feasibility studies, business technology development and production planning, and technical research.

Tissue Technologies (Albuquerque, NM) (1996-1997)
Director of Manufacturing

Responsible for plan and implementation of the new company’s infrared laser product manufacturing side, including: facilities, training, manufacturing, product support, and regulations & processes for FDA approval, ISO-9001 & CEMark. Completed the ISO-9001 and CEMark certifications within 4 months of project kick-off, preceded by full volume manufacturing operation inside of 4 months.

Lasertechnics (Albuquerque, NM) (1993-1996)
Manufacturing Manager

Responsible for production and materials organizations at a time of rapid business expansion, led a tripling in yearly throughput volume while increasing inventory turn by a factor of five, and reducing unit labor time by 40%.

Lasertechnics (Albuquerque, NM) (1986-1988, 1990-1993)
Chief Engineer, Excimer Laser Products Development

Managed the development program for commercialization of high power and efficiency excimer UV lasers (electric discharge and e-beam, x-ray preionized). Initial work partially funded via EPA Phase 2 SBIR grant. Provided engineering support to pulsed and CW CO2 industrial laser products. Managed laser product technical, UV applications, and products programs/alliances interface with industry.

XMR (Sunnyvale, CA) (1988-1990)
Laser R&D Engineer

Development of new UV and x-ray preionized industrial excimer laser products. Technical evaluation, design improvement, and support of existing products. Products alliance liaison with Siemens Corp., KWU. Doubled the electrical-optical pulse efficiency of UV-based semiconductor processing products, thereby eliminating premature failure problems.

Northrop Corporation, Electronics Division (Hawthorne, CA) (1984-1986)
Test Engineer

Development of unique high power and efficiency excimer laser demonstrator system (including ancillary subsystems) intended for space-based deployment, under contract to US Naval Ocean Systems Center. DOE Secret clearance.

Helionetics/HLX Laser Division (San Diego, CA) (1981-1984)
Associate Engineer

Development of commercial high power excimer laser systems and ancillary subsystems, including rail spark gaps, water-dielectric Blumlein transmission lines, thyratron switches, halogen gas and high vacuum processing, UV and x-ray preionization, optics protection, materials compatibility issues. DOE Secret clearance.

Superconducting Helium Electronics (SHE) Corp. (San Diego, CA) (1977-1981)
Senior Technician

Manufacturing, development, and support of custom cryogenic equipment used for low-temperature physics research, including He3/He4 dilution refrigeration and “weak link”-based Super Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs).

Education:

Mr. Lantis’ eclectic educational background includes majors in Music Education at West Chester State University, Electronics at Mesa College, and Physics and Certificate in Management studies at the University of California, San Diego.

He is a 2006 TiE-Smith Fellow in Entrepreneurship, Smith School of Business, University of Maryland.

Published Articles:

Mr. Lantis has authored or co-authored several technical papers and articles:

Comparative Disinfection Efficiency of Pulsed and Continuous-Wave UV Irradiation Technologies
Bohrerova, Z; Shemer, H; Linden, K.G.; Lantis, R.M.

Pulsed UV: Realities of Enhanced Disinfection
Bohrerova, Z; Shemer, H; Lantis, B; Impellitteri, C; Linden, K.G.

“Pulsed” Systems Provide Latest Advance in UV Disinfection
Lantis, Robert; Zanardi, Chris.
Industrial WaterWorld
May, 2003

Pulsing to a New Beat
Lantis, Robert; Zanardi, Chris.
Pollution Engineering
August, 2003

Magnetically Switched Voltage Multipliers for High-PRF, Megavolt Pulsed Power
Rothe, D.E.; Lantis, R.M.
Power Modulator Symposium, 1992.
Conference Record of 1992

Current Professional Memberships:

American Water Works Association
Water Environment Federation
American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association
Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers
Nuclear & Plasma Sciences Society for Pulsed Power Science & Technology
International Ultraviolet Association
Laser Electro-optics Society

Past Professional Memberships:

American Institute for Physics
International Society for Optical Engineering
Optical Society of America
Laser Institute of America
American Management Association
American Society for Quality
American Vacuum Society
Toastmasters International