(By Obianuju Okafor)
The earthquake-proof table is a notable invention in the endless list of technology advancements. This was designed by a Young Israeli, Arthur Brutter and his former lecturer, Ido Bruno. It is shocking to note that the chair can resist even the most severe of earthquakes and help to offer immediate and a reliable shelter to millions of people leaving in earthquake probe areas. The co-inventor of the earthquake-proof table, Arthur Brutter, said he started this project when he was still a student studying Industrial design at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem. After he saw pictures of a school that had been flattened by an earthquake in Haiti in 2010, this really shook him and he afterwards sought to provide a solution to help in natural disasters.
The aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake that wreaked the small Caribbean Island; home of the popular Haitian-American rapper, Wyclef Jean and its environs cannot be overemphasized. It is estimated that up to 200,000 people died in that disaster. As a result of this, Brutter decided to develop a product that could help to save lives during earthquakes, thus they came up with this earthquake proof table which can endure up to a ton of falling weight but is also very light and can easily be lifted by two school children. Brutter further explains that the geometrics of the table has been designed to evenly spread weight across its surface, thus this ensures that the structure holds its shape and does not collapse/break even when it is subjected to a significant down-force. According to him, the table transforms the energy and absorbs it when an object falls on it and forces the fallen debris to the side. The table can also serve as a passageway through the ruins to give room during rescue operations.
The earthquake-proof table has been tested by the Israeli military and is also awaiting approval from the world-leading Structural Engineering department of Padua University, Italy where more tests are being carried out. It is worthy of note that it has been nominated for a number of awards including the Design Museum’s design of the year award in London. It has also been acquired by New York’s Museum of Modern Art. There are lots of cities prone to earthquakes and it is believed that these tables can go a long way in saving a lot of lives when there are such disasters. This is particularly good, especially for schools/buildings with very poor structural designs that collapse at will even without an impending disaster. It is hoped that it will be adopted globally.
