Pascal Katana, a 24-year-old engineering student from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, has invented a solar-powered device that makes use of heat sensors to detect forest fire outbreaks automatically. Once the device has detected temperatures over 45 degrees Celsius that may mean a wildfire, it relays the gathered information to forest stations through a mobile phone.
wildfire
Katana demoed the device at the University of Nairobi, where he actually made his device to call to his mobile phone. Had such a device been there when the Greek wildfire approached the inhabited cities last year, the loss of property would have been much less than what the natives had to incur. The device – powered by a five-volt solar panel – could have alerted the rangers to perform rescue operations more swiftly.
Via: Gizmowatch/Reuters
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