Impact-proof desk developed for pre-school students

A group of researchers from the Philippine Normal University (PNU), De La Salle University, and Technological University of the Philippines developed a high impactproof automated study desk for preschool children following recent consecutive earthquakes in Luzon and the Visayas.

Called “LAMESA” for Life-Saving Automated Mesa to Endure Seismic Activity, the desk serves as a “a survival tool and a teaching aid to initiate ‘active’ disaster preparation,” according to PNU’s Dr. Marie Paz Morales, research team leader. This was done to help educational institutions become more prepared for quake-related disasters such as “The Big One.”

“The Big One,” a cataclysmic event that the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-Phivolcs) has been forewarning for years, is expected to reach up to magnitude 8.5. Such massive force can substantially destroy populated areas in Metro Manila, including residential areas, businesses, and schools. “La mesa” or “mesa” means “table” in Filipino.

The desk — measuring 1.22 m in length, 0.69 m in width and 3.327 cm in tabletop thickness — uses lightweight but highly strong and elastic materials to comply with kindergarten standards. Its height of 0.57 m ensures that up to four kindergarteners, with an average height of .91 m (or three feet), will be able to hide under the table.

The steel table top is coated with epoxy paint to make it durable and slick, while the steel legs come with rubber footings to minimize sliding during tremors. Its center legs, meanwhile, support a storage bin with sliding door for lighting devices plus ample food and water supplies for up to nine kindergarteners.

Moreover, LAMESA is equipped with an accelerometer, a device that senses motion, which feeds seismic measurements to a Wi-Fi-enabled microcontroller. This microcontroller then simultaneously triggers the actuator which causes the table top to fold 16 degrees upward.

LAMESA likewise has a built-in alarm system that activates when vibration levels are above-normal. Further, it has a 13-bit liquid crystal display which shows the intensity level and instructs people to evacuate when needed.