A Chinese farmer has invented a survival pod he hopes will be adopted to provide protection during natural disasters.

Liu Qiyuan from the village of Qiantun, Hebei province, says he was inspired by the apocalyptic Hollywood movie '2012' and the 2004 Asian tsunami to develop the pods, nicknamed 'Noah's Ark'.

Mr Liu has built seven pods which are able to float on water, and some even have their own propulsion system.

The pods consist of a fibreglass shell wrapped around a steel frame.

The airtight spheres with varying interiors contain oxygen tanks and seat belts with space for around 14 people, and are designed to remain upright when in water.

The airtight spheres contain oxygen tanks and seat belts with space for around 14 people, and are designed to remain upright when in water. ( AFP: Ed Jones )

Mr Liu is hoping governments and international organisations will adopt the pods for use during natural disasters.

Last month, another Chinese man unveiled his own 'Noah's Ark' which he hoped would save him in the event of an apocalyptic flood.

Lu Zhenhai, a man from Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, hopes his $US160,500 'Noah's Ark' will help him survive a so-called 'Mayan Apocalypse', on December 21, 2012.

Lu Zhenhai, afraid that his home would be submerged in a doomsday flood, invested all his money in an 'indestructable' ark. ( AFP )

December 21 marks the end of a more than 5,000-year era, according to the Mayan "Long Count" calendar, which began in 3114 BC.

Some New Age spiritualists are convinced the date also marks a "doomsday" foretold by Mayan hieroglyphs - a prediction dismissed by experts as faulty and sensational.

ABC/Wires