If you've ever eaten sushi, then you'll know that a little dab of wasabi (or Japanese horseradish) goes a looooong way.

Now, a company in Japan has created a prototype silent smoke alarm for people with hearing disabilities. It sprays a mist of wasabi essence (from spray can wasabi!) into the air.

The pungent smell succeeded in waking up 13 out of 14 test subjects within 2 minutes. One deaf subject woke up in a mere 10 seconds.

Link (with embedded LiveLeak videos) - via Spluch