IMAGINE a speaker emitting sound that can only be heard by the person at whom it is pointed.

Imagine a ceiling light that uses no electricity and that can be used to shine natural sunlight, even in a basement.

Imagine a machine that simultaneously gives the user the equivalent of 45 minutes' weight training, 20 minutes' stretching and half a mile of aerobic training - all in four minutes.

Welcome to the cutting-edge world of Raynard Smith.

It might be difficult to believe that the aforementioned concepts can actually be reality, but a visit to Mr. Smith's businesses, Filter Queen Bermuda and Majestic Innovations, based at the junction of Dundonald and Princess Street, Hamilton, can seriously broaden your mind.

Mr. Smith's motto is: There is always a better way." And many of the products he sells certainly offer an alternative to the conventional way of doing things.

"I don't go out looking for these things, I just keep my mind open," said Mr. Smith. "The mind works like a parachute, it needs to be open.

"If I hear about a new product, I try to find out how it works rather than just saying, 'there's no way that can work'.

"My creed is that if I am going to be convincing in selling it, I have to first be convinced myself. I would not represent a product that did not convince me and that did not excite me. I believe I have the ability to see good opportunities before others."

Perhaps the most spellbinding product in his range is hypersonic sound.

"It is a concentrated beam of sound and you can only hear it if you're directly in the beam," Mr. Smith said, and he demonstrated it with a speaker he has rigged up on the wall.

Stand to one side of the beam and you hear nothing other than a quiet echo that has bounced off the wall opposite the speaker. Stand in line with the speaker and you hear a crystal clear sound which eerily seems to be coming from inside your head.

"It can send a strong signal over a distance of 150 yards and you can pinpoint exactly where you want the sound to go," said the businessman. "This technology has all sorts of potential applications. You could use it in a car showroom, so that if someone stands and looks at a car they hear characteristics of that car. It would be like the car itself was speaking.

"It could be used in a jewellery store or a supermarket. In fact this technology was used by the American military in the Iraq war. They were able to fake troop movements."

A conversation with Mr. Smith revealed the 37-year-old father of two to be a deep thinker and voracious reader, who loved his work.

"This business has been built on passion," said Mr. Smith.

"I have two children and one of the things I have realised about life is that the responsibility of a parent is to expose their children to enough things so that the child can discover their passion.

"That gives them the opportunity to follow their passion and so lead a rewarding life."

His passion is to be a professional salesman, to be the "middle man" between the inventors of exciting new products and the consumers who could benefit from them.

Mr. Smith, a former Saltus Grammar School student, worked for the Immigration Department until 1993, when he made the decision to concentrate solely on his business Filter Queen Bermuda.

His entrepreneurial spirit first showed itself when he and a group of friends in their 20s set up a group called Khalfani to dabble in various enterprises.

"We started out by selling chips and soda at concerts," Mr. Smith said. "Then we started offering security services at shows.

"The exposure we gained doing all those different things gave us confidence and we actually started going our separate ways."

He added that four businesses have been founded by members of the group: the Portraits Afrique Hair Studio, Unlimited Supplies, Ultrasonic Cleaning Services and his own Filter Queen Bermuda.

Many of Mr. Smith's products have environmental spin-off benefits. He stocks a paint stripper made from soya beans, with none of the toxic chemicals found in conventional strippers.

And then there is the SunPipe, something which allows rooms to be lit up by natural rather than electric light.

"Basically SunPipe is a pipe from the roof to the ceiling of any room on any floor of a building you want the light to go," said Mr. Smith.

"The pipe is coated with silver, which has a reflective value many times more than that of a mirror, and it brings intensified sunlight to the ceiling light.

"If the pipe goes all the way down to the basement, you can have sunlight in the basement. If there's a full moon, it can give you enough light to read the newspaper at night.

"Apart from cutting down the electricty bill, there are other benefits. Full-spectrum light has been shown to have an emotional value. It increases the production of seratonin and makes you feel better.

"It has been shown to improve concentration and improves neuron function in the brain. The ultra-violet light also kills germs in the air and allows Vitamin D production in the skin."

What is immediately evident about Mr. Smith is that he knows his products inside out. And he can fluently extol their virtues.

Other home improvement options on offer include a centralised vacuum cleaning and air filtration system and a spray that can revitalise electrical appliances' efficiency by restoring their ability to conduct electricity which naturally fades with time.

"Sometimes the only reason that electrical appliances don't work is oxidisation," said Mr. Smith. "I have sprayed this stuff on doorbells that have long since stopped working and they suddenly work again. Bike horns can sometimes be repaired the same way."

Another aspect of Mr. Smith's diverse business is a remarkable exercise machine he bought for himself, but which others come in and and pay to use at $5 per workout.

Called the ROM (range of motion), the machine which looks a little like a modern art exhibit, is reputed to give a full workout in the space of four minutes.

A recent study by the acclaimed University of Southern California Department of Exercise Sciences proved that ROM users increased their maximum oxygen uptake nine percent, lost body fat, and gained strength in just two months of using the machine four minutes a day, five days a week.

Mr. Smith now keeps the 400-pound contraption, which cost him $17,000 to bring into Bermuda, in a room described as the Four Minute Gym.

"I've got people coming in here who used to go to the gym for an hour, but they find this method of a short, intense workout fits in much better with their day," said Mr. Smith.

"Most people don't believe it can really do what I say it can, but they change their minds after a go on it."

The machine has a back section for a lower body work and a front section for the upper body. It comprises various handles connected to bicycle-style chains geared up a central wheel. The faster the handles move, the greater the resistance against the wheel becomes - there is no way to cheat.

It has 20 different settings varying in difficulty, but as the resistance is generated by the centrifugal force of the rotating wheel, it automatically adjusts itself to the ability of the user, whether it be an elderly lady or a world-class athlete.

"I once had the coach of a top-division football team in here. These guys were young and were supposed to be pretty fit.

"You should have seen them. When they got through four minutes, they had had it. I've seen people go out the back and throw up after using the ROM and people lie down in here and fall asleep."

Whether or not you buy anything, the chances are you will find a visit to Mr. Smith's business something of an education.