In the years to come we may begin to see firefighters fighting fires by scaling the walls of building, thanks to an invention by Nathan Ball.
So what is this marvelous invention? Basically, it's a device which can lift 250 pounds of materials (people, supplies...) to a height of 600 feet in the air at the amazing speed of 10 feet per second! How crazy is that?
This invention has many uses. For example, according to the MIT News Office, "with the help of Ball's Atlas powered rope ascender, a fully loaded firefighter could reach the top of a 30-story building in only 30 seconds, compared to the six minutes or more it often takes to trudge up stairs with 80 to 100 pounds of equipment."
Not only can this invention be useful while fighting fires, it can also be used for cave exploration, and rescue missions. Maybe someday it will even be used for putting up Christmas lights or sold as a little kids toy! Just imagine being about to zip up to the top of your house anytime you wanted to, and without using much power at all!
Want to know more? Read the story.
Share this post: email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit! | kick it! | live it!


More...