Dangerous airbags. Free Technical Library News

NEWS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, NOVELTY IN ELECTRONICS
Free technical library / timeline

Dangerous airbags

09.10.2000

Most modern cars are equipped with so-called airbags - plastic bags that, upon impact or too sudden braking, instantly inflate, protecting the driver and passengers from injury. However, studies by American chemist Eric Betterton have shown that these life-saving pillows can be dangerous for people and the environment.

Instant inflation of the pillows is provided by an explosive - sodium azide (NaN3), from 50 to 200 grams of which are embedded in each pillow. Upon impact, the sensors send an electrical impulse to the charge, under the action of which the sodium azide decomposes, releasing a large amount of nitrogen, and the pillow inflates. However, sodium azide itself is poisonous to a wide range of living organisms, and when in contact with moisture, it releases even more poisonous vapors.

The entire US car park contains about 5000 tons of sodium azide in total. This number is growing because the latest models of cars have airbags that protect not only from a frontal but also from a side impact, and even pillows hidden in the ceiling of the cabin and inflate when the car is turned over.

There are also safety belts that inflate in case of an accident. As long as the poisonous powder is trapped in the airbag squib, it is safe, but when an old car ends up in a junkyard or is taken apart for recycling, sodium azide often gets out, meets with water and releases poisonous gas. True, this gas decomposes under the influence of sunlight, but the process takes several hours. During this time, the gas can be carried by the wind or accumulate in the recesses of the terrain.

Residents of houses built near landfills and workers cutting up old cars for scrap are at particular risk.

<< Back: giant crystals 12.10.2000

>> Forward: Robot sapper 05.10.2000

Latest news of science and technology, new electronics:

The existence of an entropy rule for quantum entanglement has been proven 09.05.2024

Quantum mechanics continues to amaze us with its mysterious phenomena and unexpected discoveries. Recently, Bartosz Regula from the RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing and Ludovico Lamy from the University of Amsterdam presented a new discovery that concerns quantum entanglement and its relation to entropy. Quantum entanglement plays an important role in modern quantum information science and technology. However, the complexity of its structure makes understanding and managing it challenging. Regulus and Lamy's discovery shows that quantum entanglement follows an entropy rule similar to that for classical systems. This discovery opens new perspectives in the field of quantum information science and technology, deepening our understanding of quantum entanglement and its connection to thermodynamics. The results of the study indicate the possibility of reversibility of entanglement transformations, which could greatly simplify their use in various quantum technologies. Opening a new rule ... >>

Mini air conditioner Sony Reon Pocket 5 09.05.2024

Summer is a time for relaxation and travel, but often the heat can turn this time into an unbearable torment. Meet a new product from Sony - the Reon Pocket 5 mini-air conditioner, which promises to make summer more comfortable for its users. Sony has introduced a unique device - the Reon Pocket 5 mini-conditioner, which provides body cooling on hot days. With it, users can enjoy coolness anytime, anywhere by simply wearing it around their neck. This mini air conditioner is equipped with automatic adjustment of operating modes, as well as temperature and humidity sensors. Thanks to innovative technologies, Reon Pocket 5 adjusts its operation depending on the user's activity and environmental conditions. Users can easily adjust the temperature using a dedicated mobile app connected via Bluetooth. Additionally, specially designed T-shirts and shorts are available for convenience, to which a mini air conditioner can be attached. The device can oh ... >>

Energy from space for Starship 08.05.2024

Producing solar energy in space is becoming more feasible with the advent of new technologies and the development of space programs. The head of the startup Virtus Solis shared his vision of using SpaceX's Starship to create orbital power plants capable of powering the Earth. Startup Virtus Solis has unveiled an ambitious project to create orbital power plants using SpaceX's Starship. This idea could significantly change the field of solar energy production, making it more accessible and cheaper. The core of the startup's plan is to reduce the cost of launching satellites into space using Starship. This technological breakthrough is expected to make solar energy production in space more competitive with traditional energy sources. Virtual Solis plans to build large photovoltaic panels in orbit, using Starship to deliver the necessary equipment. However, one of the key challenges ... >>

New method for creating powerful batteries 08.05.2024

With the development of technology and the expanding use of electronics, the issue of creating efficient and safe energy sources is becoming increasingly urgent. Researchers at the University of Queensland have unveiled a new approach to creating high-power zinc-based batteries that could change the landscape of the energy industry. One of the main problems with traditional water-based rechargeable batteries was their low voltage, which limited their use in modern devices. But thanks to a new method developed by scientists, this drawback has been successfully overcome. As part of their research, scientists turned to a special organic compound - catechol. It turned out to be an important component that can improve battery stability and increase its efficiency. This approach has led to a significant increase in the voltage of zinc-ion batteries, making them more competitive. According to scientists, such batteries have several advantages. They have b ... >>

Alcohol content of warm beer 07.05.2024

Beer, as one of the most common alcoholic drinks, has its own unique taste, which can change depending on the temperature of consumption. A new study by an international team of scientists has found that beer temperature has a significant impact on the perception of alcoholic taste. The study, led by materials scientist Lei Jiang, found that at different temperatures, ethanol and water molecules form different types of clusters, which affects the perception of alcoholic taste. At low temperatures, more pyramid-like clusters form, which reduces the pungency of the "ethanol" taste and makes the drink taste less alcoholic. On the contrary, as the temperature increases, the clusters become more chain-like, resulting in a more pronounced alcoholic taste. This explains why the taste of some alcoholic drinks, such as baijiu, can change depending on temperature. The data obtained opens up new prospects for beverage manufacturers, ... >>

Random news from the Archive

Blood vessels are easier to print 21.09.2012

XNUMXD blood vessels with a complex tree structure are printed in seconds. The new technology promises a real breakthrough in regenerative medicine. The fact is that scientists can already grow various types of tissues and even entire organs, but recreating the most complex system of large vessels and small capillaries has so far remained a difficult task.

Nanoengineers at the University of California have developed a new technology that creates micro-scale, three-dimensional capillary structures in seconds. The raw material for artificial vessels is a non-traumatic biocompatible hydrogel. The vessels are printed using Dynamic Optical Projection Stereolithography (DOPsL) technology developed by Professor Chen's laboratory.

DOPsL made it possible for the first time to print XNUMXD vessels relatively easily and quickly. Similar modern technologies, such as photolithography and microcontact printing, can only create a two-dimensional structure, and even then only in a few hours.

Stereolithography is well known and widely used for printing large parts. DOPsL technology works in exactly the same way, but at the micro level. It allows you to create microscopic objects of complex shape, including three-dimensional vessels. This is extremely important, since all the current successes in regenerative medicine associated with the cultivation of large organs and complex tissues rested precisely on the problem of blood supply.

The new technology allows not only to copy the natural structure of capillaries, but also to create more complex patterns, such as spirals and hemispheres. In the future, this quality can be used to install sensors, injectors, etc. in artificially grown organs.

See full Archive of science and technology news, new electronics

All languages of this page

Home page | Library | Articles | Website map | Site Reviews