Laptop accelerometers used to detect earthquakes
A number of laptops now have sensors inside them that can detect when they are being dropped. They can then quickly secure the hard drive read/write head so as not to damage the disc. But scientists have found another use for these accelerometers, and they are now being utilized in a system known as the Quakecatcher Network to help detect earthquakes.
The system is simple, and relies on a laptop detecting earthquake tremors through its accelerometer. But movement could come from a number of different sources, such as the table the laptop is on being bumped into, or the laptop itself being moved while powered on. So how do you tell the difference between that and a tremor?
On its own a single laptop just wouldn’t work as a detection tool, but scale that up to hundreds or thousands of laptops all reporting to a central server and you can easily phase out false positives. If all the laptops start to report movement at similar times, and they are spread across the same physical location, then the liklihood is an earthquake is going to happen.
Dr Jesse Lawrence, assistant professor of geophysics at Standford University explains:
When you accidentally knock your laptop off the desk, the accelerometer is detecting a large, strong new motion … If there’s just a few [laptops], then the server will know it’s just people knocking their laptops around accidentally … But if we’re flooded with a large number of triggers, then we’ll know that there is a large, significant earthquake in the area … If it is an earthquake, we could potentially send out signals to those who need it even before the energy from the quake has expanded out from the epicentre to those other people.
At the moment the Quakecatcher Network consists of just 3 laptops, but the scientists hope to expand this and create another warning system for future earthquakes, giving people a valuable few extra seconds to get safe.
Read more at BBC News
Matthew’s Opinion
If the scientists can implement this network to run as a background service on laptops, then it could have a big impact on not only warning, but mapping the route of the quake. The data gathered could be used to create a model based on the size of the force and the timestamps the server has for receiving the data.
The only thing it really needs is a lot of users, which is why a background Windows service would be the best solution. You could then just set and forget about it. The benefit would also be you receive warnings of a possible earthquake in your area, so if you live in a high risk zone you’ll probably be glad to let Quakecatcher use your machine.
