A long time ago, I had a hamster that would run around the house in one of those little clear balls. I also had a Jack Russell Terrier that hated that hamster. The dog would wait until no one was watching and then smack that ball around hard enough to stick that poor hamster to the side of the ball as it rolled away. This wild contraption to help people survive a tsunami reminds me a little of that hamster ball.
The contraption comes from an aerospace consulting firm called IDEA Inc., started by a pair of former Boeing engineers in 2005. The cheap version of this capsule would seat up to seven people and would cost only about $1,000 (USD). The idea is that when a tsunami is coming that the people can’t flee they can climb inside and buckle in to literally ride the flood waters out.
The device will apparently support up to seven folks for a few hours until the waters subside. A stronger version would sell for $5,000. It’s not clear just how strong the cheap version is. With the giant tsunami that hit Japan the number of cars and collapsed buildings the shelter would have crashed into is worrisome, though. I think this might also do well as a zombie survival shelter.
[via TechFlash]
