Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
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)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Engineering ")
Can 'Tactical Umbrellas' Shield One From Drones
'... another corner of his mind began to think about the shields.' - Frank Herbert, 1958.
Chinese Aircar Light And Airy, Not For Blade Runners
Daytime version.
The Morphing Wheel And The Smartwheel
'If you surf over a bump, the spokes contract to roll over it.' Neal Stephenson, 1992.
Transporting Antimatter
'...drawing plans for the magnetic tongs and bed plates and relays.'
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Nifty Folding Electric Bicycles!
'Separate paths were provided for them...'
FTC: Says Ring Employees Illegally Surveilled Customers
'Then she looked up with a smile and moved closer to the camera.'
Switzerland May Cap Population At Ten Million
'The population of Castle Hagedorn was fixed...'
Project Silica Offers 'Long-Term' Digital Storage
'... folios and tapes and playable discs of platinum alloy.'
Can 'Tactical Umbrellas' Shield One From Drones
'... another corner of his mind began to think about the shields.'
Crystalline Structures In Space, You Say?
A massive space borne lifeform from ST:TNG.
Garçon! A Menu For Artemis II, S'il Vous Plaît
'Michel Ardan, as a Frenchman, was declared chief cook, an important function, which raised no rival.'
Amazing Photonic Crystal Light Sail
'That sail will be twenty thousand miles at the wide part.'
Blue Collar AI Goes To Work To Mine Its Own Crypto
Blue collar bot.
Rogue AI Replicated Itself
'Sapiro’s computer just kept dialing at random, hanging up on humans, until it got a fellow computer of the same type as itself.'
HandelBot Helps Two-Handed Robots Learn Piano
'I request that you feed the correlation between those dots and the levers of the panel into my memory banks.'
Woven Fiber Electronic Skin For Robots
'... all the feel and appearance of human flesh and epidermis.'
When AI Takes Its First Breath
Any suggestions?
Chinese Aircar Light And Airy, Not For Blade Runners
Daytime version.
The Morphing Wheel And The Smartwheel
'If you surf over a bump, the spokes contract to roll over it.'
Transporting Antimatter
'...drawing plans for the magnetic tongs and bed plates and relays.'
