16-Year-Old Mexican Student Develops a Sound-Powered Fire Extinguisher

A 16-year-old student from Tamaulipas has developed a portable fire extinguisher that uses sound instead of water or chemicals. Ángela Karime Venegas Hernández, a student at CETIS 78 in Altamira, named the device Vortex Tech.

The prototype, formally called a Fire Suppression System Using Acoustic Waves, produces low-frequency sound pulses. Its components include a 12-volt battery, a generator calibrated to 30 hertz, a power amplifier and an emitting speaker. Together, they create vortex rings in the air.

The low-frequency vibrations agitate and displace oxygen molecules around a flame. By separating oxygen from the combustible material, the process interrupts combustion and can extinguish small flames within seconds. The design avoids water, foam and chemical powders, which could make it useful around sensitive electrical equipment or in laboratories.

The device remains experimental and works only on small, nearby flames, with a reported range of up to two meters. It therefore does not replace conventional extinguishers for large fires.

Venegas Hernández received a silver medal among more than 270 projects at national science and entrepreneurship competitions. She is also presenting the project at the International Science and Invention Fair in Jakarta, Indonesia. The acoustic-extinguisher concept was originally developed in the United States in 2015 by George Mason University students Viet Tran and Seth Robertson, whose work provided a basis for later adaptations.