RFID May Help Alert Residents about Earthquakes

Imagine a home that could bend and move to better withstand an earthquake?

British researchers are developing a way to monitor homes during earthquakes using RFID and sensors. The researchers are calling the prototype model to be built in Greece a "self-healing" home.

The home will be designed with special cracks in its walls and walls made with a material that turns liquid under pressure. If pressure results from an earthquake, the liquid will flow into the cracks and then it will harden to form a solid material.

The end result would be a house still standing but in a different position. If the building does fall, the data collected via the sensors and RFID would be useful for determining the location of the fault.

The RFID tags and sensors in the home will also work together as an alarm system that can alert residents of an impending earthquake.