Summary A Chinese farmer has invented a survival pod to provide protection during natural disasters.
Liu Qiyuan from the village of Qiantun, Hebei province, says he was inspired by the apocalyptic Hollywood movie 2012 and the 2004 Asian tsunami to develop the pods, nicknamed Noah s Ark .
Mr Liu has built seven pods which are able to float on water, and some even have their own propulsion system.
The pods consist of a fibreglass shell wrapped around a steel frame.
The airtight spheres with varying interiors contain oxygen tanks and seat belts with space for around 14 people, and are designed to remain upright when in water.
Mr Liu is hoping governments and international organisations will adopt the pods for use during natural disasters.
Last month, another Chinese man unveiled his own Noah s Ark which he hoped would save him in the event of an apocalyptic flood.
Lu Zhenhai, a man from Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, hopes his $US160,500 Noah s Ark will help him survive a so-called Mayan Apocalypse , on December 21, 2012.
December 21 marks the end of a more than 5,000-year era, according to the Mayan "Long Count" calendar, which began in 3114 BC.
Some New Age spiritualists are convinced the date also marks a "doomsday" foretold by Mayan hieroglyphs - a prediction dismissed by experts as faulty and sensational.
