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MIT Gurus Dream Up Sensor Network for Preventing Forest Fires

by Darren Murph on September 27, 2008 at 05:01 PM


Thanks, MIT. Why don't you just make the rest of the world feel a little more useless. Every week or so, we're forced to stare at yet another amazing invention coming from your doors; to be frank, it's just downright unfair. All childish angst aside, the latest idea to come from the institution is one that could certainly be put to good use: a self-sustaining sensor network that taps into trees for power in order to continuously monitor forests for threats of fire. Moreover, the concept could be applied in other scenarios as well -- to detect potential threats such as smuggled contraband along a nation's borders, perhaps. Testing of the wireless sensor network (developed by the appropriately named Voltree Power) is scheduled to begin next spring, and we're hearing that pot-sniffing turtles may even be brought in to create a completely natural self-policing environment.

[Via Inhabitat]

Tags: eco-friendly, environment, fire, forest fire, forest fires, ForestFire, ForestFires, green, hazard, mit, science, sensor, sensor network, SensorNetwork, sensors, tree, university, Voltree Power, VoltreePower

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