Japanese boffins, always hungry for a new invention, have invented a smoke alarm for deaf people that smells of wasabi. The device sprays out a synthesised version of the sushi condiment and in tests the odour woke volunteers up in two-and-a-half minutes. If you’ve ever had wasabi – a pungent spicy horseradish – you probably won’t be surprised at its effectiveness. Assistant Professor Makoto Imai from the Shiga University of Medical Science, who helped develop the alarm, says it may save lives among the hard of hearing. He said: ‘The proportion of the elderly among fire victims was nearly 50 per cent. So we thought that the decline of hearing ability may be one of the causes for delay in noticing and getting away when a fire breaks out.’ The product will be out in shops in two years’ time and will cost around £350. This definitely could be a life saver – unless you’ve got blocked nose. Source ----- I guess the normal detector just don't cut it for the japanese
I think you may have skipped over the part that stated this was for DEAF people, who normally cannot hear the audible alarm from a smoke detector activation. -sleep Like myself, who readily wakes up whenever I smell dinner, the people talked about here react in their sleep from the pungent smell of Wasabi; they are responding to an olfactory stimulus as they no longer recognize the auditory.
an average house would need a few of these and costing £350 each, it will be pricey. Then to make matters worse you wake up 3 1/2 minutes after a fire has started, your pretty much in big trouble. Just get a fire sprinkler system, better wet than dead.
i saw this somewhere earlier... it wakes you up within a couple minutes.... definitely a good approach for the deaf...
Saw the first half of your thread title "Japan Makes Smoke Detector..." and was expecting something wacky. Saw the rest of it and it didn't make sense until ralph's post. True story.
Meh... I can't say I can smell wasabi.... or is there something wrong with me :S Thing is tho.,.. the deaf people will be fooked if they have a cold too :S
i think the thing that wakes you up is not the smell of wasabi but the the burning sensation you get from smelling wasabi....
