Carnegie Mellon University researchers hope their new creation will prevent computers from crashing too early, Channel 4's Kelly Frey reported Monday.

Scott Matthews, Mike Bigrigg and Rich Hoff have created a heat sensor that they call a "critter." The device plugs into a computer in the same way as a joystick, and it alerts the user when the machine gets too hot.

A Pentium processor can generate enough heat to make a computer up to 30 degrees hotter than room temperature, which reduces the life of the hard drive over time, Bigrigg said.

Critters cost about $25 to make, Bigrigg said. They will soon be installed in many computers on campus.

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CMU: Sensor Networks