A news story about how smartphones could be of help to predict earthquakes. Published in Science Today, California Academy of Sciences online gateway for breaking news on science from all the world: http://www.calacademy.org/sciencetoday/smartphone-or-seismometer/559616/

1. Smartphone or Seismometer? « Technology « Science Today http://www.calacademy.org/sciencetoday/smartphone-or-sei...
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Smartphone or Seismometer? Dark Matter Detection?
By Zuberoa Marcos Like 0 Tweet 0 BRO WSE
Researchers at the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory want to use
our smartphones, and the sensors they carry, as pocket-sized seismometers to REL AT ED VI DEO S
detect and investigate earthquakes. The phones could serve as warning
systems that would make the difference between life or death—giving people
precious seconds to take cover, alerting trains to slow down, allowing planes to
abort landings, or helping surgeons to manage their procedures.
Smartphones contain accelerometers that can detect and record movement,
possibly monitoring tremors. UC Berkeley researcher Qingkai Kong told BBC Earth at Night iGEM Competition
News, “Right now, we can only detect earthquakes above about Magnitude 5.0,
but with better accelerometers in future smartphones, we would hope to detect
smaller ones as well.” REL AT ED L I NKS
To see if mobile phones could be used as pocket seismometers, a number of This commerce graduate is passionate
the devices were put on the Seismic Lab's shake table, an instrument that can about science and technology
simulate tremors of various strengths. It is usually employed to test the
robustness of various construction techniques to provide confidence that Franklin Science and Technology Fair
buildings will not collapse during an earthquake. (Science in Action produced a gives students chance to showcase ...
video about this shake table technology earlier this year.)
UPI NewsTrack Science and
The researchers found the phone accelerometers, primarily used to re-orient the screen display when the Technology News
phones are tilted, could pick up the shaking. Since smartphones aren't generally sitting “still” but are moving
with their owners, scientists developed an algorithm that removes this movement "noise" from the phones' Fairfax County's Thomas Jefferson
data. High School for Science and
Technology ...
At present, the researchers are developing an app that will record shaking during major events and then report
the data back to a central server over the cellular network. The science and art of effective advice
The Berkeley team hopes to test the app next year with thousands of volunteers across the Bay Area.
Cochin University of Science and
Zuberoa Marcos is a former biologist and current science writer based in Barcelona. She writes Technology to build pond, harvest
articles regularly for Science Today. rainwater
¿Smartphones o sismómetros? UP to have its first science and
technology policy
Por Zuberoa Marcos
B.L. Harbert lands $40.3M UNA
Nuestros teléfonos inteligentes van a ser más inteligentes todavía. contract
Investigadores del Laboratorio Sismológico de Berkeley quieren utilizarlos, en concreto los sensores que
llevan, como sismógrafos de bolsillo para detectar e investigar los terremotos. Los teléfonos utilizados como
sistemas de alerta podrían marcar la diferencia entre la vida o la muerte dando a las personas uso segundos
F EAT URED EXPEDI T I O N: APRI L
de adelanto muy valiosos para ponerse a cubierto, para que los trenes frenes, los aviones cancelen
aterrizajes y los cirujanos acaben la intervención antes de que llegue el terremoto.
What do Academy
El elemento clave de los smartphones para que puedan hacer este trabajo son sus acelerómetros, capaces celebrities eat? How is
de detectar y registrar el movimiento y controlar los temblores. "En este momento, sólo podemos detectar
seísmos por encima de magnitud 5,0, pero conforme los acelerómetros se perfeccionen podremos detectar
their food prepared?
también los de menor intensidad ", dijo a BBC News el investigador Qingkai Kong.
James DePonte
Para comprobar que los teléfonos móviles realmente pueden ser utilizados como sismómetros de bolsillo, los Animal Health Biologist
científicos colocaron un buen número de estos dispositivos en la “mesa de sacudidas” del laboratorio, un Read more »
instrumento capaz de simular temblores de varias intensidades. Se utiliza habitualmente para probar la
solidez de distintas técnicas de construcción, para asegurarse de que un edificio no se desplomará durante un
terremoto. ABO UT SCI ENCE TO DAY
Los investigadores comprobaron que los acelerómetros del teléfono, utilizados principalmente para re-orientar Science Today is the California
la pantalla cuando el teléfono se inclina, podían recoger el temblor. Como los smartphones habitualmente no Academy of Sciences’ channel for
están sobre una mesa plana sino en movimiento en el bolsillo de sus dueños, los científicos desarrollaron un current stories on cutting-edge
algoritmo que elimina “ruido” del movimiento de los datos del teléfono. technologies, life, Earth, space and
sustainability. Content is produced
En la actualidad están desarrollando una app que graba el temblor y luego envía los datos a un servidor in-house and is distributed throughout
central a través de la red de telefonía móvil. the museum, on the internet and
through various partners. Please share
El equipo de Berkeley espera poder realizar los primeros ensayos de la aplicación el próximo año con miles your comments on what you find
de voluntarios reclutados en San Francisco y la zona de la Bahía. important in the changing world of
science.
Zuberoa Marcos es bióloga molecular y actualmente trabaja como productora de TV y periodista
científica. Escribe de forma regular para Science Today.
Image: Apple
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2. Smartphone or Seismometer? « Technology « Science Today http://www.calacademy.org/sciencetoday/smartphone-or-sei...
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