Seismic

Google leveraged accelerometer readings from millions of Android phones around the worldwide to help detect earthquakes early

Mobile Technology

Google turned millions of phones into earthquake detectors

Back in 2020, Google kicked off a project to crowdsource signals from Android phones that an earthquake might be imminent. This global earthquake detection grid worked rather well, and delivered millions of alerts ahead of a shake.

If all goes well, the Urban Vibro Trucks will enter production early next year

Energy

Urban Vibro Trucks will thump city streets for geothermal options

A new simulation video from Herrenknecht AG shows off its Urban Vibro Trucks. The machines can deploy thumping devices from their mid-sections that send seismic waves beneath city landscapes to explore the terrain for geothermal development.

The Brinco connects to an international seismograph network and to other networked Brinco devices, to warn users when an earthquake or tsunami is detected in the area

Good Thinking

Brinco provides personalized warnings for local earthquakes and tsunamis

When an earthquake or tsunami hits, even a few seconds warning can be the difference between life and death. A new home device is aimed at providing personalized warnings for individuals. The Brinco is a networked seismic warning and monitoring system with an accompanying mobile app.

The five meter-long GOCE satellite has been found to have detected the 2011 Tohoku earthquake (Image: ESA/AOES Medialab)

Space Systems

GOCE becomes first satellite to detect an earthquake from space

The European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) is the first satellite to detect an earthquake from space.

Air Danshin's seismic isolation system airlifts homes to protect them during earthquakes

Good Thinking

Air Danshin creates airlift system to levitate houses during earthquakes

Japanese firm Air Danshin has created an airlift system that protects houses by levitating them during earthquakes.

The roll-n-cage (RNC) is an anti-vibration device that is designed to sit between the building and the ground to reduce the effects of an earthquake

Architecture

Whole lotta shakin' NOT goin' on: the roll-n-cage seismic isolator

The roll-n-cage (RNC) is an anti-vibration device that is positioned between the building and the ground so that when the ground moves, the supported building doesn’t.