Here’s a video of an anti-earthquake (or seismic safety) bed, a Russian invention from 2015. Its majestic 3D recreations let you vicariously live the nightmare from the comfort of your own home.
So what would you do? Brave the impending earthquake, or allow yourself to get sealed into what basically amounts to a metal sarcophagus, and hope things work out in the end? Watching the video, it all happens so fast, you might not even have the chance to wake up!
“The drives for moving the parts of all bed options are connected to seismometers and are triggered at certain values of oscillations and vibrations of the earth, to which the seismometer is tuned….The protective roof with the 11-turn drive is lowered down immediately after lowering the platform. This happens so quickly that the lowering process seems to be simultaneous.”
The earthquake bed here is just a prototype, but conceptually it’s meant to hold up against collapsing buildings “and increase the probability of survival during earthquakes.” Each version has air vents to help users breathe while they wait for rescue crews to dig them out after. Those with claustrophobia need not apply, but I guess it’s better than being crushed?
In the video, an entire (virtual) building collapses while six different versions of the earthquake bed gobble up their occupants, along with bottled water, communication equipment, and other supplies. The third prototype is the least terrifying, I guess, since there’s a little gap you can look out of as you scream. Yeah, sign me up.
One problem: What if you’re sleeping on the edge, or your foot’s hanging over the side? Does it still make it in with you? According to the patent, “Due to the fact that when the platform is lowered, the mattress is slightly raised at the edges, it provides a safe fall of a person downwards when the seismic sensor is triggered, eliminating his injuries and fright.” I’ll take that as a maybe.
Interested in an alternative? There’s a Japanese quake bed called the Wood Luck Bed that doesn’t enclose around you, but includes a wooden canopy that can hold 65 tons and protect you from falling debris. That option is a bit more my speed!
