Claim: Japan Developing Technology to Elevate Homes for Earthquake Protection
Architects and engineers worldwide have been striving for years to create buildings that can withstand earthquakes, with some notable successes. A Facebook post shared on April 21 has garnered significant attention, amassing around 77,000 shares. It claims that a Japanese company, Air Danshin, has been developing technology since 2005 that allows homes to rise above ground to protect against earthquakes.
The post features images of a house seemingly floating above the ground, supported by balloon-like structures, which have circulated widely on social media since April. However, this depiction does not accurately represent the technology.
Air Danshin's Innovative System
USA TODAY reached out to the users for clarification. Air Danshin's system indeed elevates homes to mitigate structural damage during earthquakes, but it employs compressed air rather than balloon-like devices.
At first glance, the houses look similar to traditional homes, but they have an additional foundation, a sensor, and an air compressor installed beneath them. The sensor detects seismic activity and tremors. Upon detection, it signals an external air compressor to release compressed air between the earthquake-resistant foundation and the house's base.
In a recent evaluation, Air Danshin reported that 30 of its homes experienced no damage following a 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck parts of Japan in February.
Japan's Earthquake History
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Japan has the highest number of recorded earthquakes globally. Since 2010, there have been over 10,000 earthquakes in and around Japan. As of May 2021, there were 227 homes in Japan equipped with this technology, according to Kinji Inaba, Director of Air Danshin.
Our Rating: Missing Context
We assess the claim that Japan is developing technology to elevate homes and prevent earthquake-related damage as MISSING CONTEXT. While it's true that Air Danshin created this technology in 2005 and has been implementing it across the country, the social media image does not accurately depict the system. The technology does not utilize balloon-like structures and only raises homes by about one inch.
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