Lights

The lights that are going to be used are coloured red and green, where red means stop and green means go. For example if the Heat Sensor picked up a fire emerging by the stairs, the light next to it would turn red and so that the people escaping know not to go that way. The other lights placed around the building where it is safe would turn green to show the way to the nearest and safest exit. Blind people will have to listen out for the Broadband Sound to guide them out of the building, or have their helper with them. They also have the ability to turn white and act as normal lights, and be neutral in the Fire Escape System.

The red and green stop/go standards won't be confused because it's a nationwide understanding that red equals danger and green generally means safety. It won't work in some other countries because the colours have different meanings to the people there (for example in China, red is considered lucky)

Metacafe Video showing examples of the lights: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/331704/led_strip_lights/

The lights are made of LED strips and they contain lots of mini-bulbs in them. They are quite cheap, sturdy and are easily replaced if broken.

Specifications:

- Colours: Red, Green and White (can turn into other colours but not needed)
- Size: 18x11mm wide, 72 LED's in a Metre strip
- Power Consumption: 4.3W
- Viewing Angle: 120 Degrees
- Light Intensity: 130 Lumens
- Volt Usage: 12VDC

(Order in bulk to cover the whole building)

The lights are placed near where the rest of the system's components are placed so that it can all work together. For example the Broadband Sound and the Sensors will be placed on the walls, so the lights must be wired to these and the server room so that when sensors detect a fire they will change colour accordingly. They must also be placed high up so they can be noticed by everyone when they are escaping the building.