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High-Tech Subway Sensor — Parallax Forums

High-Tech Subway Sensor

ercoerco Posts: 20,256
edited 2014-01-07 07:14 in General Discussion
http://www.electronicproducts.com/Sensors_and_Transducers/Sensors/Subway_uses_pee_detectors_to_catch_public_urinators_midstream.aspx

Like an old Seinfeld episode: don't get caught peeing in Atlanta's subway elevators! Only $10K per installation. A "LIGHT BULB" opportunity for someone.

Comments

  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2014-01-06 10:28
    The police response time was quick enough to arrest someone mid-stream??

    I might side with the commuters...$1.1M seems like it would go a long way to reopen some restrooms.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2014-01-06 11:10
    Hmmm. I believe Singapore had this technology in place in public housing elevators 5 or 10 years ago.

    Hopefully someone figures out that a capful of Clorox in a 20 liter bucket of water will make the smell go away quite quickly.

    In San Francisco's night club districts, just about any dark doorway on the street has that odor. I suspect New Orleans might even be worse. Just too many drunks at closing time that heed the call of nature.

    France seems to be the most enlightened. I think that in some cases they just erected stalls on public street corners and it all goes down the sewer drains with stalls removed by morning. The odor can easily be washed away. (Think about it, those French love their wine, so they have this problem big time.)

    https://www.google.com/search?q=french+public+urinals&client=iceweasel-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:unofficial&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=QgDLUreROIiekQXe1ICgBQ&ved=0CDgQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=382
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2014-01-06 11:14
    I wonder if 1000VAC, low-current power applied to conductive baseboards might effectively resolve the problem at lower cost. Those Harbor Freight electric fly swatters are only $5.
  • Beau SchwabeBeau Schwabe Posts: 6,566
    edited 2014-01-06 14:56
    "I wonder if 1000VAC, low-current power applied to conductive baseboards... " - Ahem.... Solve the problem by working the equation backwards eh??? :-) ...and you could buy a lot of fly swatters and a metal "splash plate" with insulated stand-offs for $10k
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    edited 2014-01-06 18:36
    erco wrote: »
    I wonder if 1000VAC, low-current power applied to conductive baseboards might effectively resolve the problem at lower cost. Those Harbor Freight electric fly swatters are only $5.

    Worked for discouraging a dog that used to pee on my magnesium wheel rims.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2014-01-07 02:25
    kwinn wrote: »
    Worked for discouraging a dog that used to pee on my magnesium wheel rims.

    WOW, there may be a real demand for this in Taiwan. Everywhere I go, people have their wheels on their parked cars covered with a board or something to prevent the dogs from relieving themselves thereupon. I have often thought that the dogs are just trying to mark terrritory, but everytime someone parks a car from out of the area, the dogs think there is yet another dog in the neighborhood. And so, they may get more agressive about marking tires. It is a vicious circle.

    You just might have an automotive product that would sell well in China, India, and much of the Third World.
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    edited 2014-01-07 07:14
    @Loopy

    It was a simplified version of a cow fence charger using a 555 timer IC that was powered from the car battery. Very simple to reverse engineer so if it sold well the Chinese would be selling it for 1/10th of what it would cost me to make it. If you are interested in making it I can see if I still have the schematic (no guarantees though, that was a very long time ago).
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