While life in big cities comes with plenty of advantages, there is no denying it can also be a lonely existence for those living by themselves.
With that in mind, a German designer has created an alert system to notify neighbours that someone living on their own has died.
The device, known as In Memoriam, uses an odour detector and a signal lamp outside the home, to alert passers-by that an occupant inside has died.
The odour detector reacts to particles created by the human body that decays after death.
If a person dies alone, the device will detect the smell and a lamp placed outside the house will light up
Ony Yan,
creator of In Memoriam
“The anonymity of cities leads to cases in which the deceased might not be discovered for weeks,” said Ony Yan, 30, who created In Memoriam while studying at the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin.
“The idea was to offer a technical solution and address the core of the cause: people die undetected because they no longer know and care about each other. So how can one encourage social responsibility in a house community?”
The lamp is displayed on the outside of a house entrance or apartment building to serve as a constant reminder to look out for one another.
“Should the lamp light up, the surrounding community can either gather together and figure out who died while calling authorities to open the door, or ignore the ‘problem’,” said Ms Yan.
“I wanted to give a chance for social togetherness and responsibility.”
She told The National how a personal experience inspired her to create the device.
“It started with a tragic case in my neighbourhood, where someone died and was unfortunately discovered very late,” she said.
“The smell of decomposition filled the hallway and the whole house was almost covered with flies.
“That person was dead for weeks but we only became aware of his passing when the body started decomposing.”
This led her to research other similar deaths in Berlin and she soon became aware it was a global phenomenon.
“The deceased are often discovered by family members without any mental preparation and it is a very traumatic experience,” said Ms Yan.
This led to her developing the project under the supervision of Prof Pelin Celik.
The issue of people dying alone at home, with their bodies not being discovered for some time, was compounded during the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the pandemic, there was a 70 per cent increase in the UK in the number of people who died at home alone and were not discovered for weeks.
That was according to a report from pathologists at the Imperial College Healthcare Trust, which was published in the Clinical Pathology journal.
The In Memoriam device is not yet available commercially, but Ms Yan hopes to secure funding to launch the product.
“Currently, this home system is not yet available in the market,” she said.
“The prototype is functioning, but due to my limited access to funding and engineering support, it is not yet fitted with a sensor with enough sensitivity.
“Science is still researching specific volatile organic compounds of what differentiates us in smell from animals when we decompose, as for now, the closest we smell like is chicken when we are dead.”
There are also hidden benefits to the early detection of dead bodies, added Ms Yan.
“It will ensure that real estate does not require costly refurbishment and other institutions like funeral homes and the police would benefit from the early discovery of corpses, before they rot severely,” she said.
“Crime cases become harder to detect the further decomposition has progressed.”
MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 3
Fleck 19, Mousset 52, McBurnie 90
Manchester United 3
Williams 72, Greenwood 77, Rashford 79
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Vaccine Progress in the Middle East
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What is 'Soft Power'?
Soft power was first mentioned in 1990 by former US Defence Secretary Joseph Nye.
He believed that there were alternative ways of cultivating support from other countries, instead of achieving goals using military strength.
Soft power is, at its root, the ability to convince other states to do what you want without force.
This is traditionally achieved by proving that you share morals and values.
Company%C2%A0profile
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Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
More coverage from the Future Forum
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Read more about the coronavirus
The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
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Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
On sale: now
heading
Iran has sent five planeloads of food to Qatar, which is suffering shortages amid a regional blockade.
A number of nations, including Iran's major rival Saudi Arabia, last week cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of funding terrorism, charges it denies.
The land border with Saudi Arabia, through which 40% of Qatar's food comes, has been closed.
Meanwhile, mediators Kuwait said that Qatar was ready to listen to the "qualms" of its neighbours.
The Comeback: Elvis And The Story Of The 68 Special
Simon Goddard
Omnibus Press
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Star%20Wars%3A%20Episode%20I%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Phantom%20Menace
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Big%20Ape%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20LucasArts%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PC%2C%20PlayStation%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
Copa del Rey
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
Meg%202%3A%20The%20Trench
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
