From the Jerusalem Post
http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=74736#responsesAn Israeli invention provides early warning of earthquakes, possibly saving untold numbers of lives.
The home device is as small as a shoebox and will cost consumers less than $200.
Israeli inventor Meir Gitlis developed the system, which has received much attention in the wake of the disastrous earthquake which caused tsunamis to devastate much of southeast Asia’s coastline. Gitlis told Israel21c.org that he doesn't claim his early warning system could have made a massive difference - but clearly even the saving of one life makes it worthwhile.
"Since the disaster occurred in the Far East, we've gotten requests from companies to take our sensor technology and develop an instrument against tsunamis," Gitlis said.
Gitlis’s “Earthquake Alert” is based on the same seismological principles as earthquake monitoring systems used by weather centers and government agencies worldwide. It contains an array of pendulums that naturally react to vibrations, sending a signal through an electronic circuit to a chip. After analyzing the frequency, the computer chip determines -and notifies the user - whether the movement was caused by a sonic boom, or a bomb, or if it is indeed the tremors of an earthquake.
"An earthquake is like lightning or thunder," Gitlis said. "First comes the primary waves which run through the ground very quickly. The instrument can sense the primary wave, which occurs tens of seconds before the secondary, destructive wave. The pre-warning of a half minute enables people to find cover."
Gitlis said that the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv – the country’s tallest buildings - have installed the Earthquake Alert in the skyscrapers’ elevators. In the event of a quake, the system will stop the elevators at the nearest floor, allowing people a chance to escape.
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo tested the sensor recently and concluded that it is reliable and does not react to false alarms.
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