Related News
Taiwan team builds earthquake detector
By Ralph Jennings |
April 7, 2009, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A RESEARCH team at a Taiwan university has come up with a low-budget device that can sense earthquakes within 30 seconds, enough time to issue crucial disaster warnings, the lead inventor said yesterday.
The device can detect an oncoming earthquake's speed and acceleration and allow enough time to estimate its eventual magnitude and warn trains to slow down or natural gas companies to shut off supplies, said Wu Yih-min, a researcher at the Taiwan University Department of Geosciences.
The tool is more precise than similar technology used overseas, and could cost as little as T$10,000 (US$302), said Wu, whose research team built the device after about five years of study.
"We can tell within 30 seconds whether it's going to be a big or small quake," Wu said in Taipei.
"We can sense the scale and how much damage it's likely to cause."
The device, which would be fastened to a place unlikely to be shaken by forces other than earthquakes, uses a chip that costs just a few dollars, Wu said.
Schools, railway systems and nuclear power plants would benefit from the technology, said Kuo Kai-wen, seismological center director with Taiwan's weather bureau, which helped the university test the device. Researchers must now figure out how to link it to computerized alert systems, Kuo said.
Taiwan is prone to earthquakes, logging 20 minor ones in the past two weeks.
The device can detect an oncoming earthquake's speed and acceleration and allow enough time to estimate its eventual magnitude and warn trains to slow down or natural gas companies to shut off supplies, said Wu Yih-min, a researcher at the Taiwan University Department of Geosciences.
The tool is more precise than similar technology used overseas, and could cost as little as T$10,000 (US$302), said Wu, whose research team built the device after about five years of study.
"We can tell within 30 seconds whether it's going to be a big or small quake," Wu said in Taipei.
"We can sense the scale and how much damage it's likely to cause."
The device, which would be fastened to a place unlikely to be shaken by forces other than earthquakes, uses a chip that costs just a few dollars, Wu said.
Schools, railway systems and nuclear power plants would benefit from the technology, said Kuo Kai-wen, seismological center director with Taiwan's weather bureau, which helped the university test the device. Researchers must now figure out how to link it to computerized alert systems, Kuo said.
Taiwan is prone to earthquakes, logging 20 minor ones in the past two weeks.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
