Fatal bushfires in Australia have had scientists calling for virtual reality systems that would let people 鈥渆xperience鈥� the conflagrations and react more rationally in the face of their soaring flames and booming noise. Now the University of Nevada, Reno, has developed such a system, called VRFire, which lets users wearing position trackers and surrounded by video screens explore 3D bush terrain with realistic visuals and the sound of spreading wildfires ().
A gadget that shrieks if a driver begins to doze at the wheel has been developed by Revex of Japan. The firm鈥檚 $10 Drowse Prevention Alarm is built into a small earpiece and contains a tilt sensor and an audio alarm. If the wearer鈥檚 head tilts forward just 10 degrees, the sensor activates the alarm in case they are nodding off.
