What’s round, yellow, and tsunami-proof? Why, a personal floating disaster shelter, of course.

The bizarre-looking invention—dubbed Noah, but touted in the media as everything from a disaster capsule to a mini-ark—is little more than a four-foot diameter fiberglass ball that manufacturers claim will provide safety during an earthquake, tsunami, or hurricane. Painted bright yellow for ease of rescue, the pod is allegedly water-tight and can hold up to four adults.

“This is the only shelter that guarantees protection from any natural disaster,” Shoji Tanaka, president of shelter maker Cosmo Power, told the Associated Press according to an ABC News article. “The more people know about it, the more they will be able to obtain this product according to their needs.”

People are finally beginning to take notice after being oblivious to the capsules for the first four years of their existence, according to ABC. That’s how long the high-priced shelters (from $2,500 to $4,000 according to various reports) were available without a single order. However, following the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in March, the company has 600 orders, according to the Daily Mail.

While the shelter balls are rolling slowly off the production line—two have been delivered, according to the Mail—there doesn’t seem to be much indication of whether they’ll actually work. Although Slate and others have reported that the shelters have been crash tested and guaranteed disaster proof, the company’s all-Japanese website makes it hard to determine the capsule’s safety record.

Even if it's less than sound, all is not lost. Cosmo Power notes that when you’re not using the Noah capsule to escape with your life, it makes an excellent playhouse for the kids.