This summer, The New Yorker reminded everyone in the Pacific Northwest that we’re pretty much doomed if an earthquake hits. Advice on what to do in the event of a quake is basically drop, cover your head, and hold on, but there are people working on finding ways to make people safer during these disasters — like the earthquake-proof bed.
The bed is the brainchild of Russian inventor Dahir Semenov. (In 2010, Wang Wenxi received a patent in China for a similar design, according to Gizmodo.) Here’s how it works: When the ground starts shaking, sensors detect the movement and automatically trigger a series of events. The mattress drops you down into a panic-room-like chamber, and a lid slides over top to protect you from debris.
There are a few different designs featured in the video, but the most disconcerting is the one where the sides of the mattress flip up before you sink into the box, like a scary magic trick. The tops could either close with hinges, like a trunk; slide over sort of like a trapdoor; or have a two-door design and close over you from both sides of the bed.
Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/home/this-earthquake-proof-bed-drops-you-out-of-harms-way/#ixzz498DFTs74
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