1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,280 According to a national non-profit safety organization called Kids in Cars, 81 infants 2 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:18,440 and small children died last year while being left unattended in and around a vehicle, up 3 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:24,000 nearly 100% from the previous year. 4 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:28,560 In many cases, parents simply forget they've left their children unattended, while others 5 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:32,160 leave their children in the car for a few minutes to run errands. 6 00:00:32,160 --> 00:00:37,440 Unfortunately, leaving a child in a car for even a short time can end tragically, because 7 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:42,400 temperatures inside a car can soar or plummet in just a matter of minutes. 8 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:47,720 In an effort to combat this deadly problem, NASA has developed a safety device called 9 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:49,960 a Child Presence Sensor. 10 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:54,720 This sensor alerts parents who inadvertently leave their children strapped in car seats. 11 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:59,880 I spoke with Chris Edwards of NASA Langley's Laser Systems Branch to find out more about 12 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:01,320 this fascinating innovation. 13 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:05,400 Well, the inspiration for the Child Safety Sensor came from an incident that happened 14 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:09,640 that I read about, where a child had died from being left in a vehicle. 15 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:13,400 I really wanted to develop a technology that would prevent this from happening, sort of 16 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:15,600 a second set of eyes and ears. 17 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:19,240 And I looked at technology that was out there and realized there really wasn't any. 18 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:22,600 There's nothing a consumer could purchase to prevent that from happening. 19 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:26,280 I looked at how the incident occurred and then realized that that could really happen 20 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:27,800 to anybody. 21 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,640 Being that a change in routine, something like that, it's usually a series of events 22 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:32,640 that happen. 23 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:35,360 I really wanted to break that chain of events. 24 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:40,640 So we decided to go ahead and form a team, Terry Mack of Lockheed Martin, Ed Malin of 25 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:46,380 Langley, and develop the technology and make it affordable and easy to use for the average 26 00:01:46,380 --> 00:01:51,560 person to be able to just install it in any car seat, in any vehicle, and give them and 27 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:53,200 that child a second chance. 28 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:55,800 This is how the Child Present Sensor works. 29 00:01:55,800 --> 00:02:00,760 A thin sensor is placed between the cushion and the frame of the baby seat. 30 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:06,680 The sensor, or switch, has a large activation area with a sensitivity of about 8 ounces. 31 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:10,920 Attached to the switch is a transmitter that mounts on the baby seat. 32 00:02:10,920 --> 00:02:15,920 The sensor switch triggers immediately when a child is placed in the seat and deactivates 33 00:02:15,920 --> 00:02:17,640 when the child is removed. 34 00:02:17,640 --> 00:02:22,320 The sensor will detect weight once the child is placed in the seat and transmits a unique 35 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:27,440 code to a keychain alarm module with a corresponding radio frequency. 36 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:32,120 If the driver moves too far away from the vehicle, a small alarm built into the keychain 37 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:34,140 sounds 10 warning beeps. 38 00:02:34,140 --> 00:02:38,600 If the driver doesn't return within one minute, the alarm will beep continuously and cannot 39 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:42,000 be turned off until it is reset on the transmitter. 40 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,480 How did NASA contribute to the development of this child safety device? 41 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:51,120 At NASA we have a 757 aircraft as a flying laboratory that we use for aviation safety. 42 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:54,680 And they have an experiment on there that takes data that dealt with the stresses on 43 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:58,960 the landing gear and transmitting that data back into the aircraft with a radio frequency 44 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:00,080 link. 45 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:04,600 And we took a similar approach with the Child Safety Sensor in that we monitor if the child 46 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:09,200 is in the seat and we send that data to the receiver which is on the keychain that a driver 47 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:10,560 would hold. 48 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:16,080 So we were able to use that technology and it inspired us to develop the Child Safety Sensor. 49 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:18,800 So what are your hopes for the future of this invention? 50 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,560 The main goal is to save lives. 51 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:25,360 We're currently seeking commercial partners to license the technology. 52 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:29,920 We've designed it to be inexpensive, the cost depends on how many units are produced, but 53 00:03:29,920 --> 00:03:33,080 certainly in the $20 to $30 range is reasonable. 54 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:34,880 And that's what we're currently shooting for. 55 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:39,140 So if we can get a commercial partner, a lot of the technology, most all of it's been developed 56 00:03:39,140 --> 00:03:41,580 so it should go to market fairly quickly. 57 00:03:41,580 --> 00:03:46,460 When I started this I really wanted anybody at a department store or whatever to come 58 00:03:46,460 --> 00:03:50,700 and be able to pull this off the shelf, put batteries in it, place it in their car and 59 00:03:50,700 --> 00:03:51,740 provide that second chance.