Emergency Gadget

Every now and then an invention comes along that looks or sounds silly.  The Smoke Shutoff power strip, from Exact Products, is the exact opposite.  Ingenuity at it’s best, this product is one of those things you wish you thought of.  It’s a power strip which shuts off electricity to attached devices when smoke is detected.  On top of that, an alarm sounds until the smoke hazard is gone.  And on top of that, the strip won’t restore power until you hit a reset button!  That’s 3 levels of safety craziness!!!  This product could be used anywhere, but I really see it working well in businesses that use a lot of machines.  The Smoke Shutoff has completed testing and now just needs a distributor, so someone contact Exact Products and get going!  - Kawika0

via- Exact Products

Just like your local department store starts selling spring clothes the day after Christmas, I’m bringing you this Summer apparel. This UV keyring measures how much UV rays are out and about that day so you can know what kind of risk you could be in.  This cheap keyring is a health awareness product from a company called AU MY, based out of the UK. The keyring could be very useful, especially if you are in the sun a lot or the Ozone layer decides to dissipate.  Even though it only comes in Pink you can feel good because when you buy one a part of your proceeds go to Cancer research.  - Kawika0

Product via- AU MY

This little LED flashlight rocks!  It plugs into your 12V cigarette lighter to charge and has up to a 2 hour continuous usage time.  It’s an LED flashlight that is durable and water tested that only runs for about $15. This could be useful in all matters of emergency needs and it convienently is always charging.  Good stocking stuffer?  I think so. - Kawika0

Product- Spotlight

via Engadget

I’m very sorry I haven’t posted in a while.  I was finishing up the Police Academy and just got busy.  I am back and will start up the awesome Emergency gadget engine that this baby is.  Ah, thank you….- Kawika0

Mercedes released plans to create a standardized safety technology that will predict driving situations based on video and sensors, and issue warnings or directions to correct those problems, or even automatically correct your driving for you.  This system will also include cameras that are connected to computers that can recognize cars, bicyclists and pedestrians, and differentiate them all from eachother.  It will also be able to calculate the damage of impact before an accident.  Like GPS now, it will also have a voice that tells the driver what to do.  I’m sure that will be disabled real quick like.  This might be an awesome feature to help with accident investigations, or maybe event prevent them all together.  I could only imagine seeing mercedes swerving all over the place during commute time.  - Kawika

via The Raw Feed

DARPA has decided to WiFi the battlefield.  They came up with the LANdroid, a wireless mars rover looking thing, that can be dropped off anywhere, and emit WiFi goodness.  They expect the LANdroid to be the size of a deck of cards(right) and be able to rove around to make up for the loss of another.  This way, if your stuck in a firefight, you can at least look it up on YouTube and watch it live.  This might be something we could eventually use in our safety departments for connectivity, especially with all the computers we are using in our vehicles these days- Kawika

via SciFi

Remember those privacy killing hovering police robots in Blade Runner or Dark Angel.  They are now a reality.  Honeywell’s, which sounds like a cereal, created the Micro Air Vehicle and have deployed it in Iraq to identify IED’s from the sky.  They are small enough to be carried in a backpack and have cameras that relay video back to soldiers.  It weighs 16 pounds and is only 13 inches in diameter and can be operated by a remote-control.  These are only used to find explosives for now, but the uses could be infinite.  I have a feeling we will be seeing this kind of monitoring being used in the regular public in the near future.  - Kawika

via Gizmag

People can’t seem to get enough personal safety devices these days so here’s another one.  Leave it to a Japanese company to turn something painful into something cute and painful.  This pink colored taser the shape of a seal will shock someone big time.  There won’t be any thunderbolts like the picture, but it will definitely cause some pain.  It goes for about $14, so if you’ve been looking for the cute, yet silly defense toy, then this is it.  Probably not a useful or practical taser for any emergency job, but maybe for personal use.  - Kawika

SealShocker via Ohgizmo

If you’re one of those people who have everything for the ‘Big One’, this is probably something you don’t have.  The Flaresafe flashlight, not only lights your pathways for up to 50 hours, but also triples as a Smoke Detector and an SOS alarm/strobe finder.  It is made from ruggedized plastics so it’s sturdy and it comes with the batteries needed to operate so it’s ready to go out of the box.  The coolest part is the smoke detector embedded inside.  When activated by twisting the rear cap, it checks every 5 seconds for smoke, and if there is continuous or increasing levels after 3 checks, it sets off an alarm and turns on the flashlight.  The only way the alarm can be turned off is by taking out the batteries.  What a smart device.  So either it will wake you up and save your life, or the obnoxious screeching sound will be the last thing you hear.  It’s not available in the US yet, but I’m sure it will make it’s way over.  - Kawika

Flaresafe via The Gadgeteer

This surgical drill was developed by Peter Brett from the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Aston University.  It has been tested on at least 3 people(which no one can seem to find), just kidding, and it has been proven sucessful.  They say it does not have to be programmed from a computer.  You just line it up where it needs to drill, and it goes to work stopping just short of drilling too far, which can happen when humans drill.  They have labeled it the ‘perfect’ drill.  I feel so imperfect all of a sudden.  - Kawika

via Medgadget

With all sorts of radio/internet/super space waves bouncing all over the place today, things like GPS antennas can jam.  Then they don’t work and you have no idea where you are.(That’s technology reliance for you) Now, you don’t have to worry about that because Raytheon’s GAS-1 jam-resistant GPS technology has got you covered.  The box can recognize electrical interference and by adjusting the satellite signals, can reject the interference so the GPS works properly.  The US Air Force and Navy just ordered over 4000 of these and will be using them immediately.  This would definitely be useful in the emergency field with everything coming with GPS these days.  - Kawika

Raytheon via Gizmag

This guy decided that creating a lost file for a USB drive could help retrieve whatever you lost.  He embedded a readable program on the USB drive that automatically pops up when you plug it in.  This is about as useful as it can get because when you lose it and someone picks it up, they will hopefully do the right thing and return it to you. The reason why I put this up is because we all hold our entire lives on USB drives and there is even an account of a family using this for their lost children on a vacation. - Kawika

Lost USBvia Medgadget

They say that plastic is good for us.  Three scientists in Japan decided that it was great for us.  They created an organic polymer film that can be used as a rechargable battery.  They claim it could retain a charge over longer periods of time and have a life lasting over 1,000 rechargings.  The craziest thing is that it can recharge fully in only one minute.  This would definitely be useful in any of the emergency fields in all sorts of electronics and emergency response gear, but it seems like they could easily get lost.  My slogan pitch- ‘This radio is charged by the minute-man.’ Careful, it might develop a complex. - Kawika

 via Ubergizmo

The military is testing a new thermal vest that will keep you warm or cool depending on the weather.  What a paradox.  Scientist from the University of Portsmouth are testing the vest that uses a combination of air, liquid and technologies like converting paraffin wax into liquid to absorb body heat.  If these work they will definitely help keep the troops cool in Iraq.  This would also be a great help in the emergency world for Cops on a hot or cold day, or firefighters while fighting fires, or even patients in ambulances with related heat/cold injuries.  - Kawika

via Gizmag