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EQGuard Home Earthquake Warning Appliance
EQGuard is a small home appliance that can predict earthquakes twenty seconds in advance. Created by SunShine Co. Ltd of Japan, the device makes use of information provided by Japan's Meteorological Agency (JAMA).
(EQGuard earthquake warning system unit)
The device is connected to the Internet; when a warning is sent, the appliance begins a loud auditory countdown up to twenty seconds before the quake hits.
The warnings from JAMA are based on the fact that primary waves (the first waves of an earthquake) travel faster than the secondary waves that typically do the real damage.
"There are 51 million households in Japan and we expect this system to catch on with at least 20 percent of the households," said President of SunShine Co. Ltd, Kazuo Sasaki.
However, if the epicenter of the quake happens to be under your house or apartment, the device would not provide any warning. Also, JAMA's information is not always correct; it has occasionally provided warnings of a quake when there was no earthquake.
(1989 quake in San Francisco: Third floor apartment lies on top of car)
The people of Japan are deeply concerned about earthquakes. In 1995, 6,400 people were killed in central Japan, and in 2004 more than 3,400 people were injured in a quake in the northern prefecture of Niigata.
See also these related earthquake stories:
- Taipei 101 Tower Causing Earthquakes?
The tallest building in the world may be causing small earthquakes in the Taipei basin. - Building Shaker Quake Machine
Engineers from the San Diego Supercomputer Center have put up a full-size 275 ton building on a shake table. - Nanotech Self-Healing Houses
When squeezed under pressure during a quake, the nano polymer particles will flow into cracks and harden to form a solid material.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 6/28/2007)
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