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SINGAPORE: It looks like any other four—man tent, but this one will keep you safe when lightning strikes.


And the secret? A special material called EquiVolt, which conducts electrical currents during a lightning strike, keeping those beneath it safe.

The lightweight material the first of its kind can be used to make raincoats, tents and groundsheets.

"As a consultant, I hear from industry people asking me whether there can be a product like this," said Professor Liew Ah Choy, who came up with the concept for the fabric, during its launch at the Safety and Security Asia exhibition on Wednesday.

"For example, at the airport, the staff have to go onto the runway, rain or shine. This will come in useful."

Most fatalities and injuries are not caused by lightning striking a person directly, but by it hitting the ground and generating voltage differences, said Prof Liew from National University of Singapore’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.

"A person standing in the vicinity would have differences between his or her legs, which would then result in the person getting electrocuted," he explained.

The solution, he said, was not an insulating material, but rather a conducting material that equalised the voltage differences, leaving the person standing on the fabric or in a tent unharmed.

Also at the three—day exhibition, were security systems against intruders, including one that will let users view the comings and goings at their homes or offices through a digital video surveillance system, with just a few taps on the buttons of a mobile phone.

That’s what security systems provider CHH promises to deliver with its newly—developed remote viewing system, which allows monitoring via a mobile phone, rather than a computer, laptop or personal digital assistant.

"The problem with such systems now is that when people get an alert from their security company about an intrusion, they have to find a computer to check their surveillance cameras and that takes time," said CHH deputy director Tan Boon Hoe.

With footage being transmitted through broadband into a mobile phone, one can now check immediately whether the intrusion is a false alarm, before notifying the police.

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Lightning Safety Tips

Check the forecast and watch the sky.
Darkening skies, flashes of lightning, or increasing wind may indicate an approaching storm.
Count seconds between 'flash' and 'bang' and seek shelter when the time is less than 30 seconds.
Find safe shelter.
Sturdy buildings are the safest place to be during lightning storms. Avoid sheds, picnic shelters, baseball dugouts, and bleachers. Staying in a car with windows closed also offers some protection.
Avoid isolated trees or other tall objects. It's better to seek shelter under a thick growth of relatively small trees.
Don't wait for rain to seek shelter.
Get out of the water. Water is a great conductor of electricity.
Avoid any metal objects such as bicycles and golf clubs, fishing rods, tennis rackets or tools.
Spread out and do not stay in a group
Never lie flat on the ground during a lightning storm.
If on a bicycle and lightning is within 5 miles, STOP riding, get off of your bicycle, find a ditch or other low spot and sit down.
Never lie flat on the ground during a lightning storm.
As a last resort, assume the lightning-safe position
If you are caught in a lightning storm and if you feel your hair stand on end, your skin tingle, or you hear crackling noises, crouch on the ground with your weight on the balls of the feet, your feet together, your head lowered and ears covered. Some experts recommend placing your hands on your forehead and your elbows on your knees to creates a path for lightning to travel to the ground through your extremities rather than through your core (heart).

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next time army must chong mountain under the rain liao...