WATCH: An earthquake bed - good or bad idea?

bedroom Picture by Dmitry Zvolskiy/Pexels

bedroom Picture by Dmitry Zvolskiy/Pexels

Published Feb 17, 2023

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We all remember when coronavirus was first declared a world pandemic, and pictures of empty shelves and long queues circulated on all forms of media not just in Mzansi but all over the world.

There were images of people panic buying to avoid running out of toilet paper, non-perishables, hand sanitizers, masks, and pain medicines, among other things.

It's no surprise that the pandemic disrupted our routines, but it also gave us a reinvigorated sense of community. Yet people haven't forgotten the fear that Covid-19 brought.

With so many disasters including earthquakes, it is not surprising that people would devise innovative ways to try and avert a catastrophe or, in this scenario, fairy tale it out, just like Sleeping Beauty did way back when. The only difference today is that when the buildings collapse during an earthquake, you can choose to just sink into your bed.

Earthquake bed. Good or bad idea?

Wang Wenxi, the inventor of this wonder bed, told CBS News that the inspiration for his earthquake bed came after the deadly earthquakes in Wenchuan and Yushu, when collapsing buildings killed thousands of lives.

How does it work you may ask?

When the earth begins to rumble, the bed will fold up, encasing the person in a protective cocoon and dropping them into a metal box.

Also included within the box will be a storage area for drinking water, canned food, and other supplies that will allow the person to survive for several days before they can be rescued.

The earthquake bed shared by entrepreneur Patrick Bet-David on Twitter had people in stitches.

@6Foot4Honda said: Bed +coffin 2 for the price of one 🔥

@Josef Rakich: what causes the bed to shut like that? Is it automatic shaking? Because I’m sure there are a few other ways that can shake a bed.😂

@Mary_mnng: how do you get out ??😳

@kitkun said, “Fakkkk no. But for bad hookups, faakk yes 😆

@Mike Daily: Wait till someone comes and digs you out I’m guessing.

If you don’t have a siren or something built in, that could be a while.

Or they could force a builder to actually build stuff that’s up to code, that can withstand earthquakes

@Alicia Marie said, my anxiety level just watching the bed set turn into steel

@PeterHollens said, “Looks like a death trap 🪤”

@Charlie Frank said “Except the chance of that contraption malfunctioning and killing the user is greater than the chance of the earthquake. 🤷‍♂️

@SciComm journalist at Forbes said, “food and water ??okaaay, so where’s the bathroom then? Being trapped in a coffin is gonna be extremely unpleasant

@joshsteimle said, “All I can think is “major pinching hazard”