Breaking News

What to know about Greenpeace after it was found liable in the Dakota Access protest case

Month-old girl pulled from rubble in Gaza after airstrike killed her parents

Kirsty Coventry elected IOC president and is first woman to lead the global Olympic body

Trump pause of U.S. military aid adds pressure for Zelenskyy to seek end of war

Center-right party wins Germany’s election as far-right doubles its support

Putin says he and Trump have not discussed ending the Ukraine war in detail

WATCH: Macron corrects Trump after he says European support for Ukraine was a loan

WATCH: Trump says he believes Putin would accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine

2025-02-26

65 Read.

AI Can ‘Hear’ When a Lithium Battery Is About to Catch Fire

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed an innovative AI-powered system to detect impending lithium-ion battery fires using sound. Led by Wai Cheong “Andy” Tam and Anthony Putorti, the team has trained a machine learning algorithm to recognize the distinctive “click-hiss” sound made by a battery’s safety valve just before it fails.

This groundbreaking technology addresses a critical safety concern as lithium-ion batteries become increasingly prevalent in our daily lives. With the rising number of battery-related fires, particularly in urban areas, early detection is crucial.

Key features of the AI detection system include:

  1. 94% accuracy in identifying the sound of an overheating battery
  2. Ability to distinguish the safety valve sound from other common noises
  3. Potential two-minute warning before catastrophic battery failure

The researchers used audio recordings from 38 exploding batteries, expanded to over 1,000 unique samples, to train the AI algorithm. They are now working on refining the technology for various battery types and exploring different microphone options.

This innovative approach could lead to a new generation of fire alarms specifically designed to detect lithium-ion battery fires in homes, offices, warehouses, and electric vehicle parking areas. By providing crucial early warning, this technology has the potential to save lives and protect property from the rapidly spreading fires associated with lithium-ion battery failures.

For more details on this groundbreaking research, visit the full article on the NIST website.