Smokers who sneak a cigarette at work beware. CCTV cameras will soon be
watching out for the first signs of a fire. Sentec, a British company based in
Cambridge, has invented a way for digital CCTV systems to detect even the
tiniest of flames, often before any smoke is visible. Flames flicker with
characteristic frequencies, says Sentec chief Mike Black, so the new system
simply looks for pixels changing at these frequencies. This lets it
automatically identify a fire in just a few seconds, sounding an alarm minutes
before smoke detectors.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Red-light therapy does have health benefits but not the ones you think
2
Man destined for Alzheimer's may have been saved by accidental therapy
3
Hantavirus: Where has the deadly cruise ship outbreak come from?
4
Woman in cancer remission without treatment in highly unusual case
5
Extinct relative of koalas discovered in Western Australia
6
We have figured out a new way to send messages into the past
7
A lost ancient script reveals how writing as we know it really began
8
Why the keto diet could be a revolutionary way to treat mental illness
9
Exercise helps fight cancer – and we may finally know why
10
Prebiotic chewing gum could be helpful for gum disease
