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Israel Designs Earthquake-Proof Tables, Donates to Taiwan

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JERUSALEM, Israel – When a 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan's largest city last February, killing 117 and injuring hundreds of others, Israeli representatives in that country wanted to do something to honor the victims and make a difference in the future.

And that's exactly what they did, with the help of a very clever student at Jerusalem's Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design.

For his year-end project, Arthur Brutter, working under Professor Ido Bruner of the academy's Industrial Design Department, created an earthquake-proof table that can shield two students from one ton of debris.

The trick is in the geometric shape and special combination of profiles of different sizes that create predictable crush zones and enable a certain area to be declared a safety zone.

Brutter's innovative design fit the need perfectly.

Arthur Yarden, head of Israel's Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, decided to cancel the annual Israeli Independence Day celebration and allocate the funds to purchase 117 of the protective tables to donate to the city of Tainan, located in Taiwan.

"The gift of 117 earthquake tables to the children of Tainan is a wonderful example of the way design can contribute to the safety of children and enhance friendship between people," Bruno said. "I am proud that we are educating our students to look at the many ways they can improve people's lives, not only the rich and powerful, but rather the vast majority of people who need simple, trustworthy, accessible design solutions they can afford."

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