Trailblazer Investigations Inc New York Private Investigator
Necessay Reading.......Hi Tech Can Save Your Life
Natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina can turn a high-tech culture into a decidedly low-tech one--where food, water and shelter are what matter most.
But that doesn't stop technologists from inventing devices for the disaster kit of the future. They're trying to provide for the most basic needs with technology that can turn sewer water into Gatorade, equip people with long-lasting lighting or save hypothermia victims without the use of electricity.
So if you're tech-savvy, and your home disaster kit already includes a flashlight, cans of food, bottled water, a first aid kit and plastic ponchos, then you may want to consider some advanced technologies for survival. After all, the U.S. government and the American Red Cross recommend that people prepare three days' worth of supplies and survival gear in the event disaster strikes. Katrina certainly underscored the merits of that recommendation. The following are some high-tech aids to augment a standard issue from the Red Cross:
A high-tech water dowser
Several companies are working on technology that can get potable water in any disaster, whether it be a flood, earthquake or shipwreck. Given that floods are the most common disaster in the United States, these items can come in handy.
News.context
What's new:
Technologists are inventing devices for the disaster kit of the future--and for the planner with money to spend, plenty of high-tech gadgets can provide basic needs.
Bottom line:
New technologies for survival kits include those that can turn sewer water into Gatorade, equip people with long-lasting lighting or save hypothermia victims without the use of electricity.
More stories on this topic
"Nano mesh" is a nanotechnology water filter that can remove bacteria and viruses so that they're at levels better than Environmental Protection Agency standards, according to its inventor, Seldon Laboratories, based in Windsor, Vt.
Founded in 2003, Seldon developed a new type of membrane based on carbon nanotubes--materials whose dimensions are 1 billionth of a meter. Without using electricity, heat or chemicals, the membrane will remove bacteria, viruses, lead, arsenic and other compounds that can affect taste or purity in water. Its "waterstick," barely bigger than a pencil and capable of filtering a liter of liquid in 90 seconds, lets people suck ditch water like they would using a straw in a glass of water.
Seldon CEO Alan Cummings said a prototype of the waterstick is being used by doctors in Africa and that it will be available commercially next year. Future devices from Seldon that tap into nanotechnology will include a seawater desalinization technology, which should be available in 2007, and an air filter to protect against airborne diseases like Avian flu.
Hydration Technologies, based in Albany, Ore., and supplier to the military, also uses a membrane filter, but works by fluid osmosis. It is hydrophylic (attracts water) and allows water to pass through, yet blocks very small contaminants. The flipside of the membrane is flavored so it can turn dirty puddle water into Gatorade.
High-tech warmth
If you've ever been in snowy mountains during winter, you may be familiar with the hand-size thermal packs you squeeze and stuff in a glove to ward off frostbite. Techtrade, based in New York, has developed a full-body version of that, in the form of a high-tech blanket. The U.S. Department of Defense includes this blanket in its own survival kits to treat people with shock, burns or hypothermia.
High tech copes with disaster
Ted Bart, president of Techtrade, invented the formula for a specialized medical nonwoven fabric, which once opened, will heat up to 104 degrees Farenheit in 15 to 30 minutes and stay that temperature for eight hours. TechTrade uses so-called radio frequency technology to weld the nonwoven fabric of the blanket within six seconds in order to avoid a quick chemical reaction from the bio-component material contained within the fabric.
The disposable blanket, called Ready-Heat, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration last September and went public in October 2004. Boundtree Medical in Ohio and Gall's Emergency Medical Service sell the blankets commercially for between $30 and $50.
The power-free energy source
One of the most significant tech innovations for survival kits in recent years is improved battery life. Most brands of batteries used to have a shelf life of a year or two, but now they're marked with expiration dates of five to seven years.
"Literally, a few years ago you'd have to change your batteries every year to ensure they'd work in a disaster," said David Scott, president of LifeSecure, a maker of survival kits. And while Scott recommends a trustworthy flashlight or battery radio for all disasters, solar- or crank-powered radios are making the grade for the advanced kit.
The Sherpa X-Ray Wind-up Torch, from Freeplay Energy in the United Kingdom, lets people hand crank a dependable light source. A 30-second wind will create light for five to eight minutes, and a constant crank of 40 minutes will fully charge the Sherpa. The device uses a dual-filament bulb that lasts up to 20 hours. It sells for about $30.
Natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina can turn a high-tech culture into a decidedly low-tech one--where food, water and shelter are what matter most.
But that doesn't stop technologists from inventing devices for the disaster kit of the future. They're trying to provide for the most basic needs with technology that can turn sewer water into Gatorade, equip people with long-lasting lighting or save hypothermia victims without the use of electricity.
So if you're tech-savvy, and your home disaster kit already includes a flashlight, cans of food, bottled water, a first aid kit and plastic ponchos, then you may want to consider some advanced technologies for survival. After all, the U.S. government and the American Red Cross recommend that people prepare three days' worth of supplies and survival gear in the event disaster strikes. Katrina certainly underscored the merits of that recommendation. The following are some high-tech aids to augment a standard issue from the Red Cross:
A high-tech water dowser
Several companies are working on technology that can get potable water in any disaster, whether it be a flood, earthquake or shipwreck. Given that floods are the most common disaster in the United States, these items can come in handy.
News.context
What's new:
Technologists are inventing devices for the disaster kit of the future--and for the planner with money to spend, plenty of high-tech gadgets can provide basic needs.
Bottom line:
New technologies for survival kits include those that can turn sewer water into Gatorade, equip people with long-lasting lighting or save hypothermia victims without the use of electricity.
More stories on this topic
"Nano mesh" is a nanotechnology water filter that can remove bacteria and viruses so that they're at levels better than Environmental Protection Agency standards, according to its inventor, Seldon Laboratories, based in Windsor, Vt.
Founded in 2003, Seldon developed a new type of membrane based on carbon nanotubes--materials whose dimensions are 1 billionth of a meter. Without using electricity, heat or chemicals, the membrane will remove bacteria, viruses, lead, arsenic and other compounds that can affect taste or purity in water. Its "waterstick," barely bigger than a pencil and capable of filtering a liter of liquid in 90 seconds, lets people suck ditch water like they would using a straw in a glass of water.
Seldon CEO Alan Cummings said a prototype of the waterstick is being used by doctors in Africa and that it will be available commercially next year. Future devices from Seldon that tap into nanotechnology will include a seawater desalinization technology, which should be available in 2007, and an air filter to protect against airborne diseases like Avian flu.
Hydration Technologies, based in Albany, Ore., and supplier to the military, also uses a membrane filter, but works by fluid osmosis. It is hydrophylic (attracts water) and allows water to pass through, yet blocks very small contaminants. The flipside of the membrane is flavored so it can turn dirty puddle water into Gatorade.
High-tech warmth
If you've ever been in snowy mountains during winter, you may be familiar with the hand-size thermal packs you squeeze and stuff in a glove to ward off frostbite. Techtrade, based in New York, has developed a full-body version of that, in the form of a high-tech blanket. The U.S. Department of Defense includes this blanket in its own survival kits to treat people with shock, burns or hypothermia.
High tech copes with disaster
Ted Bart, president of Techtrade, invented the formula for a specialized medical nonwoven fabric, which once opened, will heat up to 104 degrees Farenheit in 15 to 30 minutes and stay that temperature for eight hours. TechTrade uses so-called radio frequency technology to weld the nonwoven fabric of the blanket within six seconds in order to avoid a quick chemical reaction from the bio-component material contained within the fabric.
The disposable blanket, called Ready-Heat, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration last September and went public in October 2004. Boundtree Medical in Ohio and Gall's Emergency Medical Service sell the blankets commercially for between $30 and $50.
The power-free energy source
One of the most significant tech innovations for survival kits in recent years is improved battery life. Most brands of batteries used to have a shelf life of a year or two, but now they're marked with expiration dates of five to seven years.
"Literally, a few years ago you'd have to change your batteries every year to ensure they'd work in a disaster," said David Scott, president of LifeSecure, a maker of survival kits. And while Scott recommends a trustworthy flashlight or battery radio for all disasters, solar- or crank-powered radios are making the grade for the advanced kit.
The Sherpa X-Ray Wind-up Torch, from Freeplay Energy in the United Kingdom, lets people hand crank a dependable light source. A 30-second wind will create light for five to eight minutes, and a constant crank of 40 minutes will fully charge the Sherpa. The device uses a dual-filament bulb that lasts up to 20 hours. It sells for about $30.
posted by Trailblazer Investigations Inc Trailblazer Investigations Florida | Saturday, October 01, 2005
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