The University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Max Planck Institute had 5,375,352 active processing units in Aug 2013 with donated computing time from PCs, which was used to search for pulsars using radio signals and gravitational wave data. As the computing power of mobile devices keep increasing, it will be possible to use the millions of devices to run distributed computing projects to solve problems. While most smartphone or tablet owners might not volunteer their devices for that purpose, a new app by VibeSync is able to detect earthquakes if enough people have it installed on their device.

The application uses the built in sensors in Android (News - Alert) and iOS smartphones and tablets once it has been downloaded on the device.

The VibeSync system works by monitoring the motion sensors on the smart mobile devices while they are charging or sitting idle, which is a critical aspect of the application. The effectiveness of the application depends on the devices remaining motionless when the earthquake takes place.

When a large percentage of motionless mobile devices with VibeSync detect movement at the same time, the creators of the app say it can be a precise indication of an oncoming earthquake. The creators are basically using statistics to rule out anything but an earthquake as the cause of hundreds or even thousands of mobile devices moving at the same time. They say the chances of all of them moving at the same time unless it was cause by an earthquake is very remote, perhaps taking place once in a hundred years.

As of now the efficacy of the application has not been tested by a reliable organization, but the creators who hold Physics and Mathematics degrees are hopping more people install the app, which is available for free on Google (News - Alert) Play and iTunes.

Users will be alerted when the required number of apps has been installed on smart mobile devices in a particular area. The app also provides chat and location sharing tools which can be used for everyday communications, or for emergencies to notify everyone in the group if an earthquake or other emergencies takes place.