Engineers from the University of Canterbury have come up with new base isolation technology that seeks to make houses safer in an earthquake.
The testing of the base isolation system for residential houses was led by University of Canterbury postdoctoral fellow Tom Francis (pictured right) and civil and natural resources engineering professor Tim Sullivan (pictured left).
The base isolation system is designed to help homeowners avoid costly repairs and stressful insurance claims in the event of a major earthquake, the researchers said. The testing showed that it limits building deformation, prevents damage to walls and cladding, and keeps floor and roof accelerations low, which helps to protect building contents.
According to the university, the test showed “very promising” results, and, with the support of the University of Canterbury’s research and innovation staff, the project team has received funding from KiwiNet’s Emerging Innovator Programme.
The programme seeks to support scientists in developing and applying their innovations through a business lens. KiwiNet has also provided $40,000 in tier 1 pre-seed funding.
Francis said the project will use funding to work on commercialisation of the base isolation system over the next six months, as well as designing a second prototype. By next year, the team plans to set up a company that will supply the devices to housing developers and oversee their construction. Francis will become the managing director of the new company.
“I’m quite driven to do this commercialisation work and starting a company would be really rewarding,” he said. “It’s not something that I was expecting at the start of my research, but I’ve discovered that it’s my interest as time has gone on.”
The Emerging Innovator Programme also provided Francis with a mentor – John Cunningham, executive director at Ignition Partner and an experienced engineer – to help him work on the commercialisation process.
