When an earthquake hits, most of us know to run for a doorframe or duck next to a desk. Protecting your noggin should be the priority, and the Mamoris chair wants to help: This clever chair quickly disassembles into a brain-and-neck-protecting helmet.
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Pakistan’s devastating earthquake this week killed hundreds, with a death toll that’s certain to rise. While the country recovers, the world has become fascinated by a geographic side-effect of the disaster: the quake was so powerful that it created a new island
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They say necessity is the mother of invention, and sadly for Japan that means designing products—or improving products—to better withstand the earthquakes plaguing that country. So while elsewhere in the world fridge’s with vacuum-sealed drawers
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When the Loma Prieta earthquake struck San Francisco in 1989, it gutted the Marina neighborhood. While part of that was due to liquefaction effects caused by the area’s underlying landfill construction, the problem was exasperated by the area’s multiunit homes, which typically either had parking or shops built into the first floor. That’s great for home values, but not so much of the building’s structural integrity during a tremor, as you can see below.
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You’d think that in this day in age of digital software, scientists wouldn’t need to destroy a real building to test the strength of its materials. But that’s exactly what’s happening this summer in Buffalo, where a team of Johns Hopkins engineers are using a hydraulic “shake table” to recreate the 1994 Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles.
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Mass dampers—the gigantic weights designed to counteract swaying in skyscrapers—are usually installed during the construction process. But today, a Japanese real estate company announced plans to install six of the devices atop a 39-year-old building in downtown Tokyo. If all goes well, they could pop up on tall buildings all over the world.
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It’s all but impossible to stop an entire building from shaking along with an earthquake, but that doesn’t mean you can’t protect what’s inside. Japan’s THK designs and builds these ‘seismic isolation tables’ which are able to counteract the violent movements of an earthquake on a smaller scale. More »
Yesterday marked two years since the devastating earthquake and Tsunami which struck Northeast Japan.
We found this interesting infographic produced by Japanese national broadcaster NHK which illustrates public opinion on the recovery process. Major themes explored include the lack of progress on reconstruction, attitudes to returning home, effects on family ties, work satisfaction and health.
This data highlights the negative affects of the recovery process but since the disaster there have been some positive changes as a result.
-For a start contingency plans have been adopted by all institutions in the event of a larger disaster in the future as have emergency food supplies and procedures.
-Increased use of SMS,SNS and smartphone chatting apps such as LINE instead of phone emails to check up on friends and families in the event of a quake.
-Energy consumption and energy policy is also under scrutiny with pro and anti-nuclear factions debating constantly and renewable energy companies benefitting from massive market potential.
-Most significantly there has been copious amounts of support and promotion for people to visit the affected Tohoku region in the hope of boosting local economies, tourism related jobs and awareness of the area. Goods produced in Tohoku are also now widely available and pushed by most retailers.
I happened to be living in Tohoku during the disaster and stayed there for six months afterwards and I was greatly impressed by the resilience of Tohoku’s population and strong community bonds. That said, the people of the affected area deserve homes and jobs to go back to. The Japanese government should do what they do best and spend money on construction to get these people back where they belong.
In general though it seems Japanese people are finding some renewed optimism about their future.
The second anniversary of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami is quickly approaching, and the country—public and private sectors alike—is doing everything it can to be prepared for the next disaster. Simply being prepared for the worst is vitally important, and, while stuffed animals are often handed out as a way to comfort children, this particular bear—chock full of emergency supplies—is far more useful. More »
This isn’t good. North Korea has reportedly conducted a nuclear test. Unusual seismic activity in the region was detected that indicated a nuclear bomb and South Korea has told a United Nations Security Council diplomat that North Korea performed a nuclear test. More »
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