CONSUMER
Scientists build 'passive smoke' detector
27-05-2003
by
Researchers at Dublin's Media Lab Europe have developed a handheld device that can provide readouts on the level of tobacco smoke in the air.
As part of the "Smoke Rings" project at MLE, scientists in Dublin attached sensors to a handheld computer, which can give real-time readouts of tobacco smoke levels present in the air. According to Dr Carol Strohecker, the lead researcher on the project, the tool is designed to help people increase their awareness of health risks due to passive smoke exposure.
"The sensors give people the ability to just be aware of what is happening in their environment, even if it's invisible," Dr Strohecker told ElectricNews.Net. She explained that the two sensors attached to the device can detect carbon monoxide and respirable suspended particles -- the components in tobacco smoke most associated with health risks.
The readings from the device are displayed on a 12-hour clock, with thicker lines representing smoky locations and thin lines representing smoke-free places.
The Everyday Learning Group at Media Lab Europe is planning to expand the scope of the project to allow users of the Smoke Rings PDA/sensors to plug the handheld into a larger computer that would be able to project the damage done by second-hand smoke over a longer term. It is hoped that users will be able to enter in their physical details, as well as the amount of smoke they are exposed to each day, and the computer would be able to display what the long-term consequences of their level could be.
Dr Strohecker said she expects that these long-term projections will take the form of animated characters or cartoons, in order to give users a clear picture of what passive smoking can do to the body. "We think it is important to use visualisations like these to make things understandable for people," she said. "We also hope that access to this kind of information will let them reflect on the choices they make."
Media Lab Europe demonstrated this and other research projects concerned with health and well-being at the World Health Organisation summit in Geneva last week.
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