Few can stand the frigid walk from their house to their heated car in the morning, let alone the thought of spending hours on the streets during the cool-temperature months.
Yet, for thousands of homeless people across the globe, this is exactly what they must endure during the snowy seasons.
Missions and homeless shelters are doing a great job providing those with no home temporary shelter, but there are still thousands of homeless people living on the streets during the winter months. To make matters worse, life-threatening hypothermia can set in between 32 – 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but winter shelters often don’t open until it’s much colder.
In effect, a handful of people die each year for no reason other than being homeless. This travesty demands remedy; thankfully, an innovative – albeit temporary – solution exists until a long-term solution can be conjured.
Earlier this year, for Carnegie Mellon’s annual Impact-a-Thon, students were challenged to provide a temporary low-cost shelter for homeless citizens during the winter, reports Ecouterre.
One group of students developed the brilliant “Satellite Shelter,” which is an insulated sleeping bag that also converts into a tented structure.
Using wool blankets and Mylar, a reflective material frequently used in greenhouses and space blankets, the students were able to develop a shelter capable of insulating someone from the elements.
Each sleeping tent includes waterproof ventilation and wool blankets for comfort. It also has wheels and shoulder straps, making it easy to transfer from place to place.
Said Linh Thi Do, one of the students who worked on the project:
“We wanted to make sure it was super-portable and durable, so that it’s easy to carry. We have wheels on it so it’s easy to move from place to place.”
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