LONDON — A London-based company designed a fire sprinkler system to better protect homes from serious water damage.
Gizmodo reported that the Automist, which is installed on walls instead of being ceiling-mounted, only sprays water directly at a fire. A sensor mounted to the ceiling monitors a room’s temperature.
When the system detects an excessive amount of heat, the Automist Smartscan starts scanning the room to find the hottest point. Once the source of heat is pinpointed, the wall unit’s directional nozzle aims water at the heat source to put out the flames. The system uses high-pressure mist versus a deluge, which uses about 90 percent less water than a typical sprinkler system and does less damage, according to the report.
The system isn’t available yet, but it has been undergoing testing in the U.K. and the U.S.
The Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute tested the Automist in live burns. Watch the video below.