Wi-Fi In Active Volcano? GE To Install Sensors In Nicaragua Crater

American multinational conglomerate GE teamed up with filmmaker and explorer Sam Cossman and the Nicaraguan government to install 80 Wi-Fi sensors inside one of the South American country’s active volcanoes. The Masaya volcano, just outside the country’s capital Managua, has a rare lava lake in its crater.

Cossman will descend 1,200 feet into the volcano to install the sensors and test the Wi-Fi. The sensors will be installed over the course of two to three weeks, and will gather real-time data concerning the volcano’s temperature, atmospheric pressure, gravity and data on the different type of gases in the volcano, such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. This data will then be used to predict when the volcano might erupt.

“The goal is essentially to install all these sensors,” Cossman told The Verge, “and create the most effective early warning system in the world that would ultimately serve as a proof of concept for implementing something similar to communities around the world who are exposed to similar risks.”

The data collected using the sensors will be transmitted through the internet to Predix, GE’s cloud-based platform. Anyone can access the data on Predix to understand Masaya’s behavior.

Cossman will don a special aluminum suit during his time inside the volcano which he says makes him “look like a baked potato in a fire.” Cossman previously wore a custom proximity heat suit made for his journey into Vanuatu’s Marum crater.

GE live-streamed the team’s journey to Masaya on its Facebook page, with the team posting live updates on Snapchat.