'House Airbag' Protects Home From Earthquake

Airbags: not just for your car anymore. Japanese company Air Danshin has invented an ingenious system that raises a house 3 centimeters off the ground when earthquake tremors are detected, the Guardian reports. Sensors detect both the beginning and the end of a quake, and the airbags deflate when the shaking stops. Watch a demonstration in the gallery. Meanwhile, Volvo has a new airbag designed for pedestrians, notes Mashable. It's designed to protect people who get hit by a car and land on the front hood. See that video here. (More earthquake stories.)