‘It’s all about the bass’ – Is this the future of fire suppression?
We’ve all had a car pull up next to us with the bass of its stereo thumping so loud it shakes our own vehicle. But have you ever looked over and seen such a car burning? Me neither … though the thought sure entered my mind several times.
Could the lack of fire have something to do with the story I am about to share with you or am I really stretching to try and make this story relevant to your every day lives with a really idiotic example?
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Don’t let my foolishness steer you away from this interesting story by Washington Post reporter Tom Jackman. Jackman reports there actually is something to the idea of low frequencies being able to extinguish fire. Two engineering students at George Mason University in Northern Virginia are using sound waves to put out fires.
Tom Jackman, The Washington Post:
It happens so quickly you almost don’t believe it: Seth Robertson and Viet Tran ignite a fire, snap on their low-rumbling bass frequency generator and extinguish the flames in seconds. And even after you’ve seen it over and over, it’s still unbelievable.
But the two senior engineering majors at George Mason University appear to have invented and built a way to use sound waves to put out fires. It started as an idea for a senior research project, and after a year of trial and error and spending about $600 of their own money, they have built a somewhat portable sound generator, amplifier, power source and focusing tube that would seem to have great potential in attacking fires in a variety of situations.
