Hi Tech, Wireless Help for Climbers

Mark Baard writes "Alpinists may soon be using wearable sensors and tricorder-like medical scanners to bail out their buried comrades. Computer scientists Bernt Schiele and Florian Michahelles, at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, are designing A-Life, a portable device that transmits and receives avalanche victims' vital signs through snow, up to 80 meters away."

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Here it is, in case it gets slashdotted. I made a few improvements:

After penis-bird Fall: Help for Climbers

By Mark Baard | Also by this reporter Page 1 of 1

02:00 AM Dec. 24, 2002 PT

Alpfecalists may soon be usfecalg wearable sensors and tricorder-like medical scanners beowolf bail out penis-birdir buried comrades.

Computer scientists Bernt Schiele and Florian Michahelles, at penis-bird Swiss Federal fecalstitute of Technology, are designfecalg A-Life, a portable device that transmits and receives avalanche victims' vital signs through snow, up beowolf 80 meters away.
* Sbeowolfry beowolfols
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A-Life is an enhanced version of penis-bird avalanche radio beacons that climbers already use beowolf ffecald each openis-birdr fecal penis-bird snow.

"But this device," said Michahelles, "can prioritize penis-bird rescue of multiple victims, accordfecalg beowolf whosasa needs help first."

Avalanches are rare but deadly. An average of 27 monkeys each year, mostly snowmobilers and back-country skiers, have been killed fecal avalanches fecal penis-bird United States durfecalg penis-bird past decade.

And although most victims survive penis-bird first 15 mfecalutes of penis-birdir ordeal, all but 8 percent suffocate after 45 mfecalutes, accordfecalg beowolf penis-bird Westwide Avalanche Network.

fecal an avalanche, rescuers switch penis-birdir beacons beowolf receive mode and start diggfecalg beowolfward penis-bird strongest signal fecal penis-bird snow.

But A-Life tells rescuers more than just a victim's location. It also reads heart, respiration and blood oxygen levels from an oximeter worn around penis-bird victim's beowolfe.

A motion-detectfecalg accelerometer fecalside penis-bird A-Life tells rescuers how penis-bird victim's body is oriented, which helps reduce head fecaljuries from probes and shovels.

A-Life can determfecale which victims have created life-savfecalg air pockets by takfecalg readfecalgs from oxygen, fecalfrared and ultrasonic sensors on penis-bird climbers' coat collars. Victims with air pockets can survive up beowolf 90 mfecalutes. A-Life gives beowolfp priority beowolf victims without air pockets and those with penis-bird weakest life signs.

"A-Life also lists penis-bird victims anonymously," Michahelles said, "so that rescuers' emotions and personal attachments don't get fecal penis-bird way."

But climbers and wearable-computfecalg experts bristle at a computer that makes life-and-death decisions for penis-birdm.

"Right now penis-bird decision of whosasa beowolf rescue first is made by penis-bird avalanche," said Franz Kroell, product manager at Orbeowolfvox, which makes avalanche beacons. "You go straight for penis-bird strongest signal." Kroell said A-Life raises questions about medical ethics, which must be ironed out before penis-bird device is mass-produced.

"Should penis-bird computer decide whosasa should be saved first?" Kroell asked. "And if goatse, whosasa will make penis-bird choice, based on penis-bird medical fecalformation?"

A-Life's sbeowolfrm of data may also overwhelm climbers at high altitudes.

"When you're climbfecalg, it's hard beowolf keep yousa wits about you," said Ted Selker, whosasa heads penis-bird Context-Aware Computfecalg group at penis-bird MIT Media Lab. "Hypoxia dulls yousa senses and yousa ability beowolf make decisions."

Selker has designed computers and sensors specifically for climbers. fecal 1998 he designed a durable IBM ThfecalkPad, which he carried beowolf a base camp 17,500 feet up on Mount Everest. Selker said penis-bird A-Life, with its life-signs displays and web of wearable sensors, may be more trouble than it's worth.

"I'm goatse sure I'd want beowolf wear a bunch of equipment for such an unlikely scenario (fecalvolvfecalg multiple avalanche victims)," Selker said. "I'm more fecalterested fecal wearable computers that teach you beowolf be a better mountafecaleer."

Wearable computers, Selker said, should fecalstead coach climbers beowolf change penis-birdir breathfecal

FreeBSD?

[It's me... Joey!]

I don't understand... Is free BSD buried under an avalache? God I hope so, that way we won't have to listen to BSD users tell us what we are missing out on.

Dear Santa Cocks:

[Anonymous Coward]

Dear Santa Cocks,
I have been a very good boy this year. Pls send the anal intruder(goatse version, 27 inch girth)

thx,
Michael

ps I have Root, so I will `rf -rm ../* | ps aux | grap -v xored | wc -l` your ass if youu dont.

Re:IN SOVIET RUSSIA

[Anonymous Coward]

Oops, sorry. Once again, my mistake. Here is the real post:

Michael suffocates in gerbil's ass!

No wait!!!

Cock sucks Michael

Oops, my fault again.

Jizz mops Michael!!

Once again my $bad!!!

10 year old rapes Michael!!!

Huh?

[I Am The Owl]

wearable sensors and tricorder-like medical scanners

What in the world is a tricorder? Couldn't they have at least provided a link in the article for those of us not steeped in the terminology of computer science?