Innovation That Matters

Earthquake-proof bed could save sleepers' lives

Sport & Fitness

Shinko Industries' Wood-Luck bed is made of robust cypress and can protect sleepers from rubble in the case of a quake.

Japanese innovators have been working hard to find preventative solutions in case of another disaster on the scale of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, from shopping bag helmets to escape pods. These ideas are still coming thick and fast, with the latest being the Shinko Industries Wood-Luck bed, which can protect sleepers from suffering injury from rubble in the case of a quake. Many of the casualties of earthquakes are a result of falling rubble and collapsing buildings. With this in mind, the company has created a four-poster bed made of a cypress wood that has been aged for 30 to 40 years, which gives it a strength that can withstand 60 tonnes of pressure from falling debris. The bed is currently available in a single version for JPY 450,000 or JPY 500,000 for a semi-double, with JPY 50,000 for installation. The following video from DigInfoTV shows the bed’s construction in greater detail: Providing a more sturdy alternative in place of taking cover under a table, as is the usual advice in the case of an emergency, it is hoped that the Wood-Luck bed could have more of a chance of saving lives, particularly during the nighttime when the majority of people will be asleep. How else could everyday objects be transformed to help in the event of a disaster?

Website: www.shinko.co.jp

Contact: www.shinko.co.jp/english/inquiry/index.html