The horrific scene of the World Trade Center towers collapsing on Sept. 11 in New York with thousands of people trapped inside created a new nightmare for high-rise dwellers worldwide.
Now, a Taiwanese company is selling something it says could save lives in similar situations: a "Survivor" box.
The box -- which looks like a giant mahogany wardrobe trunk -- is a steel-encased container with enough seating space for three to four people seeking refuge from earthquakes or other disasters.
The container can withstand up to 396 tonnes of pressure and is equipped with an alarm signal that can help rescuers find the box under rubble, said the product's creator, Wang Jui-yuan, chief executive of Bastion Quake Enterprises Corp.
Local TV commercials show a 23-tonne truck being dropped on the box from about 10m in the air. In the ad, the container survives the test completely intact.
The 44-year-old engineer began designing his product long before the terrorist attacks in the US. He said he got the idea after witnessing the devastating 921 earthquake two years ago that demolished hundreds of buildings and killed about 2,400 people.
"It's not only people in Taiwan. Everyone is afraid of earthquakes," Wang said.
"There's no escape from apartment buildings."
However, Wang's box comes without guarantees.
"A good product doesn't need a guarantee," he said. "That's why we've tested the product to see how much weight it can withstand."
So far, business has been slow. Only 80 boxes have been sold, mostly to wealthy business people, said Wang, who blames the slack sales on a habit of not planning for emergencies.
Taiwanese "don't think about the risks until after the fact," he said.
But one major problem could be the product's high price: NT$396,000 (US$11,500) -- as much as a compact economy car.
Wang argued that the box is a wiser investment.
"A car may make transportation more convenient, but Survivor can save your life," Wang said.
The box -- which comes in mahogany or light brown paneling -- has a safe for valuables, leather seats and storage space for food and drinks. An advanced model includes a bullet-proof exterior and a tank of mace spray to ward off looters or intruders during the chaos following a disaster.
Wang said he is negotiating with two companies that might market the product in Japan, where he thinks he'll be more successful.
"Taiwanese have a short memory, but Japanese place more value on life," he said.
RSS