Teen Inventor's Cave Radio Could Save Lives Deep Underground

Cave-texting device involves combination of computer and ham radio

By Jeremy Hsu Posted 02.01.2010 at 4:57 pm 4 Comments

Cave Radio Most underground radio doesn't get quite this deep Brad Horn

Science fair projects don't get much cooler than a texting device that broke the record for deepest known underground digital communication in the United States. Such a device may help save people trapped deep underground and even allow scientists to conduct remote cave research, all thanks to a teen inventor from Los Alamos, New Mexico. NPR took a firsthand look at the deep, dark foray.

Alexander Kendrick, 16, headed to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico to test his device almost 1,000 feet underground. His invention involves a computer attached to a ham radio that transmits data using low-frequency radio waves. By contrast, high-frequency transmissions used in FM broadcasts have a harder time penetrating solid rock.

Kendrick's team climbed down to 946 feet, before they assembled a 6-foot-wide radio antenna out of PVC tubing and wire. Kendrick's dad had hiked to a spot directly above the team on the surface and awaited a message.

The younger Kendrick then typed the word "happy" on a rubber keyboard, and "appy" appeared on the small screen aboveground being held by his father.

The effort won Kendrick the 2009 International Science Fair, along with a new computer, a Switzerland trip and $12,000. He hopes to make the radio more portable and durable for rescue crews, as well as for scientists who would want to monitor cave environments remotely.

If that doesn't inspire young people to try their hand at becoming high school inventors, we don't know what will.

[NPR]

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4 Comments

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Frosttty

02/01/10 at 6:08 pm

Isn't this the same as ultra-low frequency transmission? I'm pretty sure the US Navy has an antenna buried in Illinois or Michigan that transmits to subs in the oceans. Anyone know of this that can elaborate on it?

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weedium

02/01/10 at 8:24 pm

Yes, that's right. It's an ELF array, I'm pretty sure there are more than one and can transmit data world wide to submarines. I was a submariner. This technology has been around a very long time. I guess since Alexander made one portable is the significance. The radials on the Navy's array are miles long and buried in the ground.

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ford2go

02/02/10 at 3:55 am

The ELF signals are one way -- base to sub only. They are
Extremely Low Frequency. (ELF :) ).

I'm guessing that this lad picked a somewhat higher frequency, and maybe a more robust comm system. Possibly the text transmission is repeated multiple times until it gets an acknolwledgement from the receiving site. I'm just guessing.

At any rate, whether it works out or not, cheers for the original thinking.

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toferus2001

08/03/11 at 2:19 pm

I do hope we get more High School Innovators or else we will lose every technology to China.

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