Smoke
Vibrating helmet designed to guide firefighters through smoke
Firefighters can quite often find themselves in smoke-filled rooms, where it’s impossible to see more than a few inches in any direction. Not wanting those firefighters to run into walls, researchers at the University of Sheffield have created a prototype helmet that vibrates against the wearer’s forehead, letting them know the location of nearby obstacles. Read More
While the detrimental effects of inhaling secondhand tobacco smoke are well-documented, it can be difficult to determine just how much of that smoke people are exposed to. After all, we know that smokers inhale smoke from each of their cigarettes, but what percentage of that smoke reaches their family members or co-workers? Scientists at New Hampshire’s Dartmouth College have created a portable sensor, in order to find out. Read More
Is it actually smoggy outside today, or is it just you? If you have the Visibility app on your Android smartphone, you can find out. Just take a picture of the sky, and you will receive a message detailing how polluted the air is at your location. Not only will you know if you should take shelter indoors, but you will also be contributing to the scientific understanding of local air pollution. Read More
Faced with increasingly strict regulations on public smoking, Japanese smokers are left with few designated smoking areas where they light one up. In order to help these people locate assigned smoking areas, Katabami Crafts has created a free "Smoking Map" iPhone application. Read More
It might look like a McDonald’s fries packet, but the Firescuba concept is nothing to be laughed at if it keeps you alive until help arrives. Smoke inhalation is the major cause of most fire-related injuries and deaths so if this device with its carbon filter lets you breathe through smoke, it’s probably worth carrying one around with you or keeping one within reach at home. Read More
Video: Laser/smoke microphone promises the world's most accurate sound capture
The quest for ever more realistic sound reproduction seems set to move to a whole new level. Traditional microphones convert sound to electrical signals by measuring the deflections that sound vibrations cause in a diaphragm. But each diaphragm has its own weight, inertia and resistance, which colors the sound that gets recorded. So American digital audio pioneer David Schwartz, who invented the MP3 sound format, has come up with a novel new type of microphone that virtually eliminates the microphone's mechanical interference with the sound. The laser/smoke microphone uses a laser to measure the deflections that sound makes in a steady stream of smoke - which is virtually weightless. Prepare for a new wave of high-fidelity microphone technology. Read More
