Poland native solves your smoke alarm problems

Friday, April 2, 2010

By GRACE WYLER

gwyler@vindy.com

With the “springing forward” of the clocks last month, many Poland residents have experienced the annual annoyance of checking their smoke alarms.

But thanks to Poland native Trevis Kurz, smoke alarm-induced migraines may soon be a thing of the past.

Kurz, an industrial design student at Ohio State University, has created the Sanas Smoke Alarm, a user-friendly smoke alarm that facilitates easy silencing and battery replacement.

The product won first place in a student design competition sponsored by the International Housewares Association and the Industrial Designers Society of America.

After a period of research, Kurz discovered that the main problem with smoke alarms is that they are positioned high on the ceiling, Kurz said.

“I filmed people changing their smoke alarms, and I realized that a lot of people would use a broomstick,” Kurz said. “So I worked on designing the smoke alarm around the broomstick.”

The Sanas Smoke Alarm features a large silencing button on most of the front surface of the alarm. This gives users a large surface area where they can silence the alarm with a broomstick or similar instrument, Kurz said.

The silencing button also flashes when the battery is low, making it easy for the user to determine when the battery needs to be changed.

To change the battery, the user can detach the alarm from the ceiling by sticking a broomstick into a hole in the center of the alarm, Kurz said.

“It really is a safer alternative because you don’t need a ladder or have to do any work above your head,” Kurz said. Kurz showcased his design at the 2010 International Home and Housewares Show in Chicago Mar. 14-16. The product attracted a lot of positive comments, as well as some corporate interest, Kurz said.

“I was standing at this huge trade show, and everybody that came up to me had a story,” Kurz said. “They all said ‘You’ve solved a universal problem.’”

Kurz has a patent pending on the alarm, and might decide to pitch the concept to companies in the industry, he said. In the meantime, he hopes to continue solving problems. He and seven classmates at OSU are now working to redesign the emergency landing gear release system for the Cirrus VK-30 Experimental Aircraft at the OSU Airport. “I really like to solve problems,” he said. “It’s really all about solving a problem through design.”