It's the summer silly season down here in NZ,& with meagre local news our reporters are seizing on global snippets to pad out papers. Well you can only print so many Comet McNaught pix I guess ..
One just to hand is the use of solar powered LEDs as "cat's eyes" road studs, apparently first used on Britains A413 in Bucks. early 2006 => <A href='http://www.astucia.co.uk/news_detail.aspx?news_id=22 ' Target=_Blank>External Web Link</a>, with press release <A href='http://www.intertraffic.com/marketplace/mypage/pressreleases_detail.asp?mypageid=206&newsid=590 ' Target=_Blank>External Web Link</a>
On the face of it a brilliant road safety idea, but a similar installation on the Essex A20 has just been implicated in possible epileptic fits amongst road users<A href='http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/6226285.stm ' Target=_Blank>External Web Link</a> with installation halted until claims are investigated. Apparently these Astucia installations have 100Hz flashing, which (on the face of it) should be well above the acknowledged 7-10Hz epileptic danger rate. Even normal viewers are well known to become confused at refresh rates around these frequencies of course. Aha- so THAT's maybe why your electronics class has trouble remembering Ohm's Law !
Since Picaxes are such naturals for LED flashing, school users should be alert to this epileptic photo triggering mechanism, especially if any kids are prone to fits.
Temptingly this may be a PICAXE PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITY for some bright spark keen to investigate the phenomena. I can just see it now on BBC news - " 16 year old XXX XXXXX of XXXXX school investigated the flashing LED cat's eye fit phenomena for a science project using just a £1 © Picaxe ™ microcontroller. Results are being scrutinised, but evidence already suggests ... "
Anyone? Stan.
Edited by - manuka on 21/01/2007 21:33:44
One just to hand is the use of solar powered LEDs as "cat's eyes" road studs, apparently first used on Britains A413 in Bucks. early 2006 => <A href='http://www.astucia.co.uk/news_detail.aspx?news_id=22 ' Target=_Blank>External Web Link</a>, with press release <A href='http://www.intertraffic.com/marketplace/mypage/pressreleases_detail.asp?mypageid=206&newsid=590 ' Target=_Blank>External Web Link</a>
On the face of it a brilliant road safety idea, but a similar installation on the Essex A20 has just been implicated in possible epileptic fits amongst road users<A href='http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/6226285.stm ' Target=_Blank>External Web Link</a> with installation halted until claims are investigated. Apparently these Astucia installations have 100Hz flashing, which (on the face of it) should be well above the acknowledged 7-10Hz epileptic danger rate. Even normal viewers are well known to become confused at refresh rates around these frequencies of course. Aha- so THAT's maybe why your electronics class has trouble remembering Ohm's Law !
Since Picaxes are such naturals for LED flashing, school users should be alert to this epileptic photo triggering mechanism, especially if any kids are prone to fits.
Temptingly this may be a PICAXE PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITY for some bright spark keen to investigate the phenomena. I can just see it now on BBC news - " 16 year old XXX XXXXX of XXXXX school investigated the flashing LED cat's eye fit phenomena for a science project using just a £1 © Picaxe ™ microcontroller. Results are being scrutinised, but evidence already suggests ... "
Anyone? Stan.
Edited by - manuka on 21/01/2007 21:33:44