Man develops own apocalypse-survival device

A man in China has spent thousands creating a survival device to save him when the world ends.

Liu Qiyuan has devised a $48,000 pod to survive after December 21 - the date some believe the Mayan calendar, and therefore the world, will end - and he claims someone could live in the equipment for up to four months at the North or South Pole "without freezing, or even feeling slightly cold".

The pod - which he has nicknamed Noah's Ark - features a bed, table and flowery wallpaper as well as oxygen tanks and food and water supplies.

Liu - who came up with the idea after watching disaster movie '2012', which stars Thandie Newton and Danny Glover - told Sky News: "The pod won't have any problems even if there are 1,000-metre-high waves ... it's like a ping-pong ball, its skin may be thin, but it can withstand a lot of pressure.

"The pods are designed to carry 14 people at a time, but it's possible for 30 people to survive inside for at least two months."