The proposed new mobile phone system
could potentially reach poverty-stricken
areas which do not have mobile networks,
hampering efforts at communication.
Image: iStockphoto
Dr Paul Gardner-Stephen has already invented a fully functional, Get
Smart-style shoe phone and now he has come up with mobile phones that
don’t need network reception to work.
But Flinders University’s own ‘Mister Gadget’ says science isn’t just
about invention – it’s about making the world a better place.
With the support of National Science Week, Dr Gardner-Stephen is
giving members of the public the chance to try out these mobiles for
themselves and to learn how science can transform the lives of the
poorest people in the world.
Making mobile phones that don’t need towers is a one-hour, hands-on
presentation in which Dr Gardner-Stephen and colleagues demonstrate the
practical power of science.
“As anybody who has done experiments in a lab will know, science can
be great fun,” Dr Gardner-Stephen said.
“Inventing products and making discoveries is an exciting part of
science but it’s easy to overlook just how science has the potential to
improve the lives of millions of people,” he said.
Dr Gardner-Stephen’s new system that allows mobile phones to operate
in remote or disaster-struck areas is an example.
“The Boxing Day tsunami and the Haiti earthquake were devastating in
terms of the loss of life and the destruction of cities and villages,”
he said.
“These natural disasters also destroyed phone networks, making it
impossible for families to locate friends and loved ones, as well as
hampering rescue efforts.
“And there are many parts of the world where people’s capacity to
escape poverty and poor health is limited by the absence of a basic
phone network.
“Our new system makes it possible to create a substitute phone
network within hours.
“It shows how science has the capacity to help people in dire need.”
Making mobile phones that don’t need towers is a National Science
Week Event. It will be held from noon to 1pm on Thursday 19 and Friday
20 August in the SILC Building, Flinders University. Admission is free
and single bookings are not required.
Editor's Note: A story provided by Flinders University . This article is under copyright; permission must be sought from Flinders to reproduce it.
|
