Hasta La Gadget!

This tiny sensor sticker can save your life – provided you’re also wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. Bikes and motorcycles make it easier to commute and squeeze through traffic during rush hour. However, the chances of you getting hurt when you figure in an accident are pretty high since there’s nothing standing in the way of you and whatever it is that’s about to hit you.

You might already be using some sort of In Case of Emergency (ICE) system now, but one that you really should look into if you bike is the ICEdot. It’s basically comprised of the tiny yellow sensor (that’s the dot on the helmet above) and an app that’s installed on your phone.

The sensor is programmed to trigger your phone to call for your ICE contact once it detects that you’ve been in an accident. It also gauges how severely you’ve been hit. To prevent false alarms, the app generates an emergency countdown which you can manually abort if you just dropped your helmet or took a small fall or something.

The ICEdot will be available next year for around $200(USD). That’s not a bad price, considering that it might just save your life if you crash out on the trail somewhere.

[via Gizmodo]

Emergency services are embracing technology as new ways to investigate, send alerts and receive reports of crises. And now, the Japanese are looking at social networks to support communication in disaster scenarios, especially when traditional services fail. The local Fire and Disaster Management Agency put together a panel discussion on just that topic, with representatives attending from the likes of Twitter, Yahoo, Mixi and NHN Japan, as well as various government and emergency bodies. The talk was motivated, in part, by the March tsunami, when the internet was the sole means of information for some, and with initiatives like Google’s Person Finder playing a role in the aftermath. Any formal implementation of the ideas discussed is probably a long way off, and this is the first of three planned meets to hash it out. In the meantime, however, Twitter’s Japanese blog posted some suggestions on how their network could be used in emergencies — we just hope they won’t be needed anytime soon.

Filed under: Internet

Japan considers using social networks in disaster situations originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 01:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You lost your wallet in Jakarta. You got hit by a car in Paris. You need to get online in a sketchy internet cafe in Reno. More »

Formation-flying quadrocopters have already given us hours of entertainment, but now they’ve also accomplished something serious. Earlier this month, mini choppers developed at Japan’s robot-loving Chiba University assisted in an emergency drill that simulated an explosion at a chemical plant. Four machines and a host computer (shown off after the break) used spherical markers, image processing and a heck of a lot of math to autonomously scan the site for survivors. The researchers claim the exercise went “very well” and that the local police force would like to “introduce this system” for genuine reconnaissance. That could include monitoring volcanic eruptions or inspecting power lines, but alas there’s no mention yet of using quadrocopter swarms to sneak up on yakuza.

Continue reading Swarming quadrocopters complete trial recon mission for Japanese police (video)

Filed under: Robots

Swarming quadrocopters complete trial recon mission for Japanese police (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 23:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Disaster can strike at any given moment. There are measures that you, as an individual, can take to increase your chances of survival. There are also some fixtures that firms can choose to install in their offices to up their employees’ survival rate as well.

One of these is the SAVE:US Emergency Light.

It’s basically an overhead light in normal situations. But in cases of emergency, people can simply pull down a removable torch that they can use to get around the area or fire off SOS signals when they need help.

Each torch is also equipped with a GPS system, so trapped victims can signal for help, making it easier for rescue teams to locate them.

SAVE:US is a 2011 Red Dot design concept winner and was designed by Jo Joo Hyun, Choi Sung Hun, Jin Min Hee & Park So Jeing. While there are no current plans to put it into production, it seems like a good enough idea to consider it.

[via Yanko Design]