An Underground Radio to Save Lives

Posted by ryuzaki0 on Saturday May 6, 2006 @08:33AM from the technology-with-depth dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "The Duluth News Tribune wrote last week about a communication device which could be a lifesaver for miners. This invention is the brainchild of David Reagor, a physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). His prototype radio works at depths of 500 feet and is based on very low frequency electromagnetic radiation and digital signal processors. A commercial version is in the works and could be used not only by workers trapped in a mine, but also by firefighters and other emergency workers to communicate with people in collapsed buildings or subways."

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VLF has been used for submarines for decades by ishmalius · 2006-05-06 08:46 · Score: 5, Informative

Very low frequency (VLF) has an extremely low data rate, yet it has a great ability to penetrate earth and water. The Navy has been using it for a long time to communicate with submarines.