Story: Inventions, patents and trademarks

Seismic shock absorber

Bill Robinson was the New Zealand government scientist who, in the early 1970s, developed the seismic shock absorber, a flexible building pile. This video shows how the shock absorber works by using high-density lead and rubber to absorb the force of earthquakes.

Using this item

University of Waikato

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Mark Derby, 'Inventions, patents and trademarks - Patents in New Zealand', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/25394/seismic-shock-absorber (accessed 26 April 2024)

Story by Mark Derby, published 11 Mar 2010, updated 1 Feb 2015