Science Fiction Dictionary
A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

 

AlertBox Wireless Device Warns The Neighbors

A wireless device called an AlertBox is going on sale in the United Kingdom this week; it allows neighbors to warn each other about "dodgy characters" on their street. It can also be used to transmit requests for help in the event of fire or medical emergency.


(From AlertBox Limited)

The AlertBox device is about the size of a small paperback book; it sends short text messages. It will be sold to individuals for £147. Once an AlertBox has been activated, all of the AlertBoxes within 100 meters are automatically activated. By pressing just one button, a message can be sent to all of the neighbors, making it easy to use in stressful situations. It is currently in trial use in Devon, South Wales and north London; Neighbourhood Watch organizations are involved in the trials.

I think that there is an interesting comparison to be made with services in the US like Lifeline Medical Alarm, in which a request for help goes to a central dispatch office, rather than to neighbors. Take a look at some of the reasons that AlertBox Limited brings up in favor of their device:

  • AlertBox has an important contribution to make to security and peace of mind. An AlertBox network provides a channel for communication within a neighbourhood, reducing isolation, preserving privacy and helping residents to live the lifestyle of their choice.
  • Many incidents that worry or alarm residents are not matters for the police, making any remedial action difficult. With an AlertBox network, a resident can alert neighbours to antisocial behaviour, unwanted callers and other disturbing situations.
  • By empowering residents to take action, AlertBox helps to promote a more cohesive community.
  • An additional and valuable function is the ability to use AlertBox to call for neighbours’ help in an emergency, saving valuable minutes before emergency services arrive.
Doesn't that sound a lot friendlier and more neighborly than calling an anonymous stranger and hoping for a response? This is almost an "open source" kind of help network. The company is even working on a multiple-language capability, so a message sent in one language can be read in another, again making it more useful than a phone in multi-lingual neighborhoods.

In Jack Vance's award-winning novel The Last Castle, the expatriot aristocrats who rule Old Earth have enslaved a race from Etamin 9 - the Meks - to do their work for them. The Meks make excellent servants because they have a natural wireless network built into their nervous system. They have metallic quills that serve as antennae. Whenever one Mek gets into trouble, it notifies the others wirelessly. The original article is available here.

Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 11/1/2004)

Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.

| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |

Would you like to contribute a story tip? It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add it here.

Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )

Related News Stories - (" Communication ")

Holobox? Who Doesn't Want A Home Hologram?
'...there appeared standing upon the disk, the image of a man...' - Edmond Hamilton, 1928.

EBS-260 Handjet Free Hand Dot Matrix Printer
'McKie held a chalf-memory stick over the dusted surface.' - Frank Herbert, 1964.

CD, DVD Bit Rot And PKD's Civic Notification Distorter
'...copy two of the original document no longer can be superimposed on copy one.' - Philip K. Dick, 1965.

Zoom Education Idea Is 100 Years Old
'... the frosted glass squares began, one by one, to show the faces and shoulders of a peculiar type of young men.' - Harry Stephen Keeler, 1915.

 

Google
  Web TechNovelgy.com   

Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.

 

 

 

 

Science Fiction Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's   1950's
1960's   1970's
1980's   1990's
2000's   2010's

Current News

Europa Clipper Plate Carries A Special Message
'...a universal cryptogram — yet it is one which can be interpreted by any intelligent creature on any planet in the Solar System!'

Micro-Robots Are Smallest, Fully Functional
'With a whir, the Scarab shot from the concealing shadows of the corner where it had hidden itself.'

AI Enhances Images Your Brain Sees
'I could have sworn the psychomat showed pictures almost as sharp and detailed as reality itself'

Illustrating Classic Heinlein With AI
'Stasis, cold sleep, hibernation, hypothermia, reduced metabolism, call it what you will - the logistics-medicine research teams had found a way to stack people like cordwood and use them when needed.'

Deflector Plasma Screen For Drones ala Star Wars
'If the enemy persists in attacking or even intensifies their power, the density of the plasma in space will suddenly increase, causing it to reflect most of the incoming energy like a mirror.'

DIY Robotic Hand Made After Loss Of Fingers
'I made them... with the fine work of the watchmaker...'

Cheap Drunk Driver Detection From UofM
"Look, I can drive... Start, darn it!"

Can A Human Land A SpaceX Rocket On Its Tail?
'If she starts to roll sideways — blooey! The underjets only hold you up when they’re pointing down, you know.'

Robot Snakes No Longer Stopped By Stairs
'...she dropped her hands from the wheel, took the robot snake from his box.'

Has Turkey Been Stealing Rain From Iran?
Can one country take another's rain?

We Need To Build Anti-Drone Systems For Civilian Spaces
'the real border was defended by ...a swarm of quasi-independent aerostats...'

SensorWake Scent-Based Alarm Clock
'The odalarm awoke Jorj X. McKie with a whiff of lemon.'

AI Worms That Spread
'...there were so many worms and counterworms loose in the data-net now'

Challenges Of Two-Armed Robots
When the left hand knows what the right hand is doing.

FlexRAM Liquid Metal RAM And One Particular SF Movie Robot
'Its lines wavered, flowed, and then painfully reformed.'

Ulm Sleep Pods For The Homeless
'The lid lifted and she crawled inside...'

More SF in the News Stories

More Beyond Technovelgy science news stories

Home | Glossary | Invention Timeline | Category | New | Contact Us | FAQ | Advertise |
Technovelgy.com - where science meets fiction™

Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.