Scented Fire Alarms for Deaf Edit
Alarm Sprays Canned Wasabi

A silent Wasabi fire alarm for the hard of hearing is in the works in Japan. Wasabi is that really, really, really pungent greenish paste you find on your sushi plate that can burn your tongue, palate and everything else in your mouth if you’re not careful with it. Wasabi also has a very strong smell and this is the feature that researchers in Japan are exploiting.

“Prototypes of a new silent smoke alarm that sprayed canned wasabi extract into a room succeeded in waking 13 out of 14 test subjects within 2 minutes,” according to InventorSpot. “One subject who is actually deaf awoke a mere 10 seconds after the wasabi essence was sprayed.”

Now that’s innovation!