I-Corps: Translation potential of a mobile unit for disaster recovery personnel

The broader impact of this I-Corps project is the development of a portable, mobile shelter for disaster recovery personnel and survivors in disaster areas. When a disaster strikes a rural or other community, whether it’s a tornado, wildfire, or flooding, the effects are compounded by the lack of available housing for survivors and recovery personnel.

Access becomes difficult with hotel and hospital bed space in short supply and geographically dispersed supplies. This disaster mobile unit is designed to be self-sufficient and self-sustaining with solar power, air conditioning, water filtration for drinking water, and secure doors for safety. In addition, the unit includes a communications package to support effective government communication and networking and a medical configuration that could provide an area for medical personnel to treat patients closer to the disaster.

This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with a first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of energy-sustainable mobile shelters for disaster survivors and recovery personnel. The shelters are designed to provide living quarters, medical access, and communications equipment in times of emergency.

The disaster mobile unit is constructed with insulation technologies that minimize its carbon footprint and is paired with high-efficiency solar power generation and water filtration systems to create a shelter that may be deployed into remote areas and set up with minimal infrastructure requirements. The self-sustaining units may provide comfortable conditions when fuel and supporting infrastructure are absent due to post-disaster conditions. the technology allows communities to recover more quickly and also provides continuity of local government and community function during a disaster or immediately after a storm.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.