UP researcher creates innovative "tent" for emergency scenarios

Alice Costa, researcher at the University of Porto set up a shelter solution for crisis scenarios, by resorting to 4D printing technologies, enabling the possibility of shelters being self-assembled, multifunctional and even self-repaired.

This project was developed under the Master degree project on Industrial Design and Product of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto and the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto.

A UN refugee agency (UNHCR) report recently signalled that the number of people affected by war, persecutions and conflicts rose above the 70 million people, in 2018 alone.

Linked to this is the extremely serious issue of time that runs short when dealing with severe emergencies; when everything fails, it is necessary to create the structural solutions to effectively cope with basic needs in the field, namely the need for shelter, and to replace the makeshift tents that house thousands of people.

This project is based "in innovative technologies as 4D printing, where it is possible to develop 3D structures by using "shape memory related materials" that can later on react and interact with environmental stimuli as water, light and heat", the researcher explains.

The patent application of this "Made in U.Porto" has already been submitted, although the project led by Alice Costa has not yet reached those most in need.