We are getting a first look at a new type of shock absorber designed to protect buildings during an earthquake, and it is being used right here in the Bay Area. And it is the first time the technology has been used in the United States. KRON4's Charles Clifford explains the thick, sticky stuff is polyisobutylene, basically a type of man-made rubber. And it could be the future of seismic safety in large buildings. Along Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco, California Pacific Medical Center is constructing a new 12-story hospital. Scattered throughout the frame of the building are 119 tall, slender shock absorbers that sit between floors.