>> kristen: hi, welcome to assignment 7. today our program an east bay rescue team with a life and death mission. they have discovered volunteering isn't always free. a local doctor goes to work on helping a village in peru. and imagine if our cars could talk to each other. we show you how they can. >> budget constraints are tough right now. volunteers who help with search and rescue is spending their own money to do it. eric thomas reports from alameda county.>> search and rescue chid

captain knows what it's like to spend long days with a search dog as a your closest companion while you are looking for a missing person. >> i think in the end it's mostly people with common good where they want to help the community, provide a service. give something back. >> reporter: like the search for hasani campbell who was five years old when he went missing two years ago. it's the high profile case that has yet to be resolved. there are the others. >> there are a lot of things that go on that doesn't hit the news. people go out and find people and nobody hears about because that is what we do. >> the search and rescue team works out of the sheriff's department but 70 members are all volunteer. that means a commitment of time and considerable amount of money. >> to an average member today it's close to thousand dollars in basic gear.

>> reporter: much more for that that needs specialized equipment like dog handlers and divers. >> dogs are your partner so spending that kind of money doesn't bother me. >> reporter: she has been doing it for 20 years. volunteer that has want to start dog handling can spend up to $2,000 per year. for the volunteer who has been laid out, that amount of money can be the difference between having a roof over your head or not. that, it's easy to find people who want to volunteer but finding people who can is another story. >> economic times what they are it's more of a challenge because of the costs and so forth. the fact people don't have the free time available from their jobs and home life to be able to commit. >> reporter: there are no hard numbers for people that wanted to become search and rescue

volunteers but can't because of the economy. if finances is shrinking the pool of prospective volunteers they aren't having an effect on the caseload. eric thomas, "abc 7 news". >> kristen: in the raise to make things all digital, there could be a game changing out of i.b.m. research center. here is david louie. >> reporter: this small lab makes for cramped working conditions but for the scientists they are working on a tiny scale. it takes one million atoms to store data they have found it can be done with 12 atoms. >> why do we do this? if we make something that works, it's revolutionary. >> they used this electron microscope to do their research. portions were handmade with an occasional peel piece from an aluminum beverage can. they are subjected to a temperature of 460 degrees below zero.

>> they hold still and we can see them and watch them and actually operate on them. >> they started out with the goal to see if a single atom could retain digital information. smallest number was 12. what made this possible was rearranging clusters of atoms so head to head.ead to foot >> the current is large and then we come back down. so the image we will see is on the surface. >> scaling down to one million to 12 atoms could lead to much smaller devices that run on less power. >> packing more storage storj is very important. take this prototype, very first hard drive with the capacity of

five megabytes. compare that to the iphone with 3200 times more storage. >> challenges remain with the need of the atoms to be at sub-zero temperature. >> kristen: as much of a quarter of the space in uismt disposal sites is taken up by styrofoam. as dan ashley reports, a piloted program started by surfers could change that. >> reporter: like everyone else, surfers enjoy to a clean and healthy ocean. but a lot of beaches are littered with trash. one of the biggest problems iss. styrofoam. >> it's like oil sitting on the beach. >> it gets consumed by animals and sea life and winds up in the food chain. >> reporter: michael stewart is one of the founders of sustainable surf, new organization trying to get surfers and surf industry to go green. one of the first projects

focuses on styrofoam the type used to pack electronics. >> it's the exact same material that is one of these recycled surf blanks. >> that is the core of the surfboard. experts called shapers carve them to get the performance they want. most are made of new styrofoam but now a company is using recycled foam for their blanks. a shaper james mitchell says it's a great product. >> i probably wouldn't know the difference for me that is what i want. >> it sounds great but it cost a lot of money to collect styrofoam. it may be lightweight but as you know from around your house, it takes up a lot of room. >> it's 90% air so you are

basically trucking around air. >> they organized a program with business paws and volunteers to move the styrofoam cheaply. they put collection boxes at surf shops and few other locations. sponsors paid for the material and customers started bring in foam right away. >> volunteers pick up the foam and store it arp at an office in the presidio. last step is made possible by the owner of action sports express. they shot a video of this truck loading up. >> he has business that transports surf boards and kayaks up to northern california. >> that truck used to go home empty but now it carries styrofoam to be recycled. >> it's been such a success they hope to expand with more collection sites and more companies using ree recycled

styrofoam. >> so to have that option for a person is good. >> kristen: still ahead, a simple fabric that can save lives. >> bay area doctor who has discovered it takes a village to treat a village, the results of her generosity is next. >> and simple tool to help train children with speech problems.

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welcome back. driving could soon be safer. technology will allow cars to talk to each other to prevent accidents. jonathan bloom god goot sneak

peek. >> up ahead there is a car topped in the middle of the road but your car can warn you to stop safely with technology that could soon be standard on all cars. >> it's technology that cars speak to each other so they can avoid each other. >> using short waves, they announce their position. computers analyze if two cars or a collision course and alert the driver. there are led's on the mirror and windshield and seats vibrate. >> there are four motors in the seats and six motors in the back and we use either the right or left motors depending on where the threat is. >> they are doing the last in a series of tests with ordinary drivers so see how people respond to the high-tech warning system. >> to figure out what works for

them. >> a research granted from the federal government put together real world scenarios that are rare but deadly. >> in this simulation, one driver is about to run a stop sign. so the system warns other drivers to hit the brake. it works around blind corners. researches say it's making believers out of their test subjects. >> whether they skeptical when they come out there, they are pretty enthusiastic when they zbleef it could prevent 80% of all accidents. >> kristen: a simple new system could make life easier for children with speech impediments. it helps them pronounce sounds correctly using the sense of touch. here is carolyn johnson. >> you take this and curl all the way back so you can make a

nice errr sound. >> he is retraining the tongue to make the "r" sound and it looks like a paper noise makers you buy for new year's eve. device is part of a system called speech buddy. it's designed to help patients help pronounce letters by guiding the tongue. he heard his own speech problem when he heard a recording. >> it sounded really weird. >> his parents brought him to speech therapist. ellen golden. they use different things to help achieve proper placement but the molded tips provide a precise guide. >> it going behind here. this is where the tongue goes. how far back and lower the jaw.

>> you run through 100 iterations through the year. >> his teams experimented with dozens of shapes and each one is specific to a particular sound. >> we do the equivalent doing physical targets within the mouth for individual sounds. >> the company is presenting results from a clinic trial to the american speech and hearing association. he and his family believe this addition to his therapy has helped his speech silly. >> after couple sessions, i'll be starting to sound more adult like. >> it's a lot easier for me to do this. >> kristen: often when a doctoring embarks a medical mission that is where it ends. they return to their regular practices but sometimes it can lead to something else entirely.

wayne freedman has an example from u.c. san francisco. >> up on the fifth floor of the medical center, he is one of those people that never stops moving. he is specializes in allergies and immune did he fish echb si. she has a nickname, santa rosa. >> do you feel like a saint. >> but in the mountain village of peru, she takes regular vacations there and not to relax. she leads medical missions. >> they don't have any doctors, enough doctors to see the people. >> by now he has taken six different trips in peru but really taking care of the medical needs might not be enough. she wanted to do more.

so the doctor loaned the villagers $11,000 to restore a textile mill. they brought in machines, all they needed was buyer when they begin knitting. that is where michelle from san francisco enters the store of hand committed baby clothes, that is all she sells. >> i do have in it cotton. >> her she appreciates knitting. her mother is peruvian. >> it's incredible. they dye their own yarns. >> and good timing. now, they have never met each other until the doctor learned of the place and wandered in. >> she told me she didn't have enough people to make her product. i said i have a factory. >> she is a good person. >> michelle would join the doctor on a medical mission. she checked the facility. she helped train and the rest

would take care of itself. >> it gives them an opportunity to grow. >> how many people do you employ? >> so far 60 families in one community and 30 in another. >> what is the incidents of your money going to that village? >> the difference now they have an income. >> now you understand why in the andes they called her santa rosa and how good deeds do go rewarded. he is about to sign a deal with national company. one good thing leads to another and everybody zblns it feels wonderful. >> kristen: still ahead the new social network that links you to your neighbor. and san francisco's parking frustration, the app that makes it easier to help you find a spot. we put it to the test.

>> kristen: welcome back. taking to neighbors over the

fence may seem old-fashioned but there is a new p to foster those friends ships and how it can save lives. >> miles keeps fit by rowing. last summer high got bacterial meningitis putting people he had met at risk. >> we were overwhelmed by the fact he was in icu and now we had to search and try to find owl all these people. >> his mom went to her laptop and logged on to next door.com. it's online network to link neighbors in close proximity. it was a health emergency but next door is more commonly used to get neighbors to share tips to find a baby-sitter or discuss community issues. city is enthusiastic about it. >> next door provides opportunity for neighbors to get to know neighbors through a social network very localized

small so also >> it also addresses a growing problem. >> i may know my neighbors on my left and right but i don't know who is living across from me or down the street. >> it takes ten households to start a group. two have been created in 973 neighborhoods. the ceo and cofounder of next door. >> it's not like facebook or twitter, it's about strengthening and amplifying real world relationships that already exist. >> and open up dialogues that can save lives. >> i was really grateful, all my friends, their parents get the message so they can take antibiotics because they could be infected by now. >> ten new neighborhoods are being added every day. david louie, "abc 7 news". >> kristen: and now a new tool

that may help boost your parking chances in san francisco. alan wang took it for test drive. >> it's just a big green button that guides you to the nearest open parking spot in san francisco. >> there it is. >> david designed voice park. it uses data from existing parking seven stores installed by the municipal transportation agency which designed the app but he thought it was too difficult to use while driving. >> you have to type in what is available and not available and you have to navigate.

>> voice park uses realtime information on more than 19,000 parking spots in eight pilot areas around san francisco. >> there are 838 available. >> it knows when commercial spots are open and refreshes every 8 seconds. >> if somebody snags, it are recalculate and take you to the nearest one after that. >> to see how good it was, we decided to let an expert use the app. the parking vallet. >> i picked up a spot on pine street and went around the block and there was spot open. twa that easy. >> you about it couldn't keep up with u-turns and sudden direction changes. it doesn't anticipate temporary construction zones either but he says its work in progress and the first of its kind. in less than a month, 30,000 more spots will be available. in san francisco, alan wang,

"abc 7 news". >> kristen: the app developer hopes to make it available in 50 cities by the end of the year. >> and coming up, a new achp@a male announcer ] for some reason

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>> kristen: there may big a big divide in california between urban and rural residents. now campaign a bart is trying to make a connection between the two. don sanchez shows us the unique bart art. >> a 11-year-old that wants to be a pro boxer. a girl that place volleyball. trees, they are in real world ads on bart trains. >> it like we have two different ones within california. my idea was to reintroduce rural california to people in communities to people in the cities. >> lisa spent more than a year driving 10,000 people and photographing them. they all had one thing in common. >> people who have a real passion for something, people are who are willing to struggle and fight for what they believe in. >> we share this space, we should get to know each other.

>> john christian soen from stanford is one of the nonprofits collaborating. >> the buildings and kindlesaffd traffic, you look up and you see a life. you see a window in to another california. >> it's really about the diversity of the state. unique campaign will be on bart trains through march. then in the fall, there will be an exhibition of the california historical society. >> the hope is that people are able to step back and things that divide usd reall and reallt to understand we're all people and communities on a basic human level. >> eight posters on bart and many more photos are found on their website. >> kristen: if you want more information on the stories on our program today, go to our website at abc7news.com and look under the news links on the left side for assignment 7.

that is all for this edition of assignment 7. i'm kristen sze. thanks so much for joining us. >> we demore any attack by the u.s. armed forces against innocent civilians. >> usual u.s. officials condemn a deadly attack by an american soldier in afghanistan. >> a drunk driver with a child in the car causes a black out in 8p8p8p8p