An Inventor Has Designed an Earthquake-Proof Bed

What’s scarier: being thrown from your bed in the middle of the night by the rumblings of a massive earthquake? Or waking up buried alive in a steel coffin? Clearly both options are terrifying, but if you find the first more frightening, Wang Wenxi’s earthquake-proof bed might be just the thing for you.

The Chinese inventor has released a concept video showcasing several bed designs, each of which automatically transforms into a tiny survival chamber when it senses an impending earthquake. The most stripped down version features a mattress atop a metal box. When the ground begins to shake, the top of the box pops open, and the mattress—and sleeper—fall right in. The more elaborate versions, meanwhile, look a little like canopied beds, with a roof that can slide down to create a tiny, sealed off chamber.

It’s unclear whether Wenxi has actually constructed any of these beds. The proof-of-concept video, above, shows animated mock-ups, not real-life prototypes. But it’s clear these earthquake chambers are built for a true disaster scenario rather than for comfort. While they come with a bit of storage space for food and water, the idea of being trapped under rubble in a tiny steel box still seems pretty terrifying. Wenxi’s design is certainly creative, though whether the beds could be of use in actual earthquake-prone zones remains to be seen.

[h/t Gizmodo]

Banner Image Credit: Dan Arrow, YouTube