We all (hopefully) know about the dangers of sleeping in a car and the effects of carbon monoxide gas.
Unfortunately, accidents happen. Recently, a girl in her twenties was found dead in a car by passersby. According to Facebook page my kuala langat, the girl is believed to be from Kampung Endah/Taman Seri Desa Tongkah, Morib.
She had apparently just arrived from Kuala Lumpur and was supposed to go home to her parents’ house in Kampung Endah. She was locked out as no one was home, so the tired girl decided to take a nap (as a lot of us would do too) in her car. With the aircond and the car engine left running, she soon succumbed unknowingly to the accumulation of carbon monoxide gas.
This very real problem has happened on numerous occasions and can pose a severe threat when carbon monoxide is released in an enclosed space, causing neurological damage mere minutes after being exposed to the gas.
Twitter user @_mnhq decided to do something about the situation. For his Final Year Project, the student and his team of brains created a device that detects the presence of carbon monoxide gas in vehicles. In the demonstration video he uploaded on Twitter, he used a lighter to simulate the presence of carbon monoxide. When the gas reaches dangerous levels, a beeping sound goes off and the car window automatically winds down to allow fresh air in.
While this is still a rough idea in the works, we think it’s pretty brilliant. Imagine just how many lives this simple device could save!
By: Celestine Foo
