Have you ever actually tried to use a fire extinguisher? Do you even have one in your house? It sure seems simple until your cooking experiment goes wrong and your cabinets are on fire and–just me? Israeli company Elide has created a ball that puts out fires, either by being thrown onto them or just being close to them. The video gives you a look at the ball in action. It looks so cool that it might make you set a fire in your yard just to see it work. (Please don’t do that.)

Though the video has no explanation about how it all works, their website does. The ball is full of chemicals that put out a fire and it activates in three seconds. It also has a loud noise that acts as a fire alarm. You don’t even need to have it inspected for five years. It weighs less than three pounds, meaning that even children could use it easily. The site also explains that, despite the giant cloud of smoke it gives off, it is non-toxic to the environment and is made from human and environmentally friendly materials.

It actually does seem like a good idea to mount one of these near potential fire hazards like kitchens, and it’s small enough to keep next to your bed or under the sink. However, it’s probably wise to keep one of those bulky, metal ones around as well. This is great for a contained fire, but the chemical spray can only go so far. It’s a good stop gap measure to buy yourself time to get the other fire extinguisher if the blaze is a large one. Okay, practical stuff aside, watch that video again. It’s great that it’s useful, but it’s also really, really cool. Tweet me/us @JennaBusch/@Nerdist and tell us what you think of this new bit of magic science.

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HT: Sploid, Elide Israel
Image credit: Elide Israel