Wasabi Fire Alarm: A Way to Alert the Hearing-impaired

My family has had to deal with my brother being hearing-impaired since he was born. It was difficult for them to adjust and they have done so tremendously. However, they still worry about moments in which their son would need to hear, but cannot because of his impairment. I laughed once when my mom brought up how my brother would not hear the sound of a fire alarm. It was explained to her that she just worries too much. Now that I am older, I agree with her feeling of worry and was pleased to discover the new Wasabi fire alarm that is becoming a success in Japan.

The Japanese appear to always be on the cutting-edge when it comes to creative technology. Japanese based company Air Water Safety Service teamed with fellow company Seems to develop something for the hearing-impaired. They often wondered how they could make the lives of these individuals that much safer. This is when they decided to use the ability to smell to help alert these people when there is a fire taking place.

Since hearing-impaired people can not hear the same awful screeching alarm sound, the companies decided to unleash a high dose of allyl isothiocyanate, a chemical that helps horseradish, mustard, and wasabi get their strong bites. The powerful smell will awake anyone in the house, thus alerting them of the danger and resulting in them getting out before anything happens. They will also be able to see a red LED light flashing once the smell awakes them.

Many tests in Japan have shown the Wasabi based fire alarm to work. Nearly all the subjects who were exposed to the smell woke up within two minutes of smelling the strong chemical. This has resulted in many companies (mostly hotels) looking into purchasing the fire alarm for some of their rooms. However, the price is listed at $600 dollars and has turned off many would be buyers. The company is currently working on a redesign to the alarm that would give it a much more cost friendly price.

The success of this product in Japan will most likely lead to someone else creating something similar or the companies launching a similar product over here. I would gladly purchase one because it would help my brother be more aware of what is going on in his surroundings once he moves out on his own. This is a great idea for the hearing impaired and further proves how the Japanese are always thinking of ways to use technology to better the lives of others.

My Sources:

Tokyo News, Wasabi Fire Alarm to Protect Deaf, 2010.