Convertible Life Vest Backpack
Year: 2022
Location: Providence, RI, USA
Instructor: Jennaca Davies
Category: Unfolding Nature
Duration: 4 Weeks
Role: Individual Project
The Convertible Life Vest Backpack addresses the alarming increase in global floods driven by rapid climate change. It also provides a glimpse into the future of product design in a world facing more frequent natural disasters. This experimental project illustrates how an everyday backpack can transform into a life-saving vest during sudden floods, showcasing the potential of ordinary objects to serve as essential rescue tools in emergencies.
Overview
Photos and video of the final working prototype
Table of contents
As climate change intensifies, the frequency and severity of floods have increased significantly, making them one of the most dangerous natural disasters threatening public safety worldwide.
Click each image below to read its news article and learn about the flood.
Background
Furthermore, the scientific article titled “The Inequitable Patterns of U.S. Flood Risk in the Anthropocene” reports that their newly developed inundation model projects a 26.4% (24.1–29.1%) increase in U.S. flood risk by 2050 due solely to climate change under the RCP4.5 scenario. The study also anticipates that climate change will raise the Average Annual Exposure (AAE) to flooding in the U.S. from the current 3.63 million people to 6.27 million by 2050.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01265-6
"Present and future US flood risk by county."
"Present and future spatial distribution of flood risk among select demographic groups."
Problem statement
“How can we design a product that may save people from sudden floods in the future since we cannot stop the rapid climate changes?”
This project is primarily inspired by the concept of an inflatable life jacket—a portable bag that transforms into a life vest to protect its user. To better understand its mechanism and functionality, an actual life vest was disassembled and studied at the beginning of the project.
Project inspiration
After examining the mechanism of inflatable backpacks and exploring a range of origami folding techniques, I developed four design concepts informed by these studies. Due to safety considerations, the project’s focus shifted toward the latter two concepts, which adopt a backpack form that can be converted into a vest.
First Ideation
To create a waterproof and inflatable backpack/life vest, it was essential to identify the most suitable materials and fabrication methods for the product.
Material Experiments
Vinyl was selected as the primary material due to its durability and waterproof properties. Several tests were conducted to identify the type of vinyl most compatible with heat-sealing techniques. Using an air gun and water-filled prototypes, the most effective material was determined, allowing the project to advance to the final construction phase.
After material testing, the backpack’s sewing pattern was simplified to better accommodate vinyl construction and streamline the fabrication process.
Final Design & 3D Rendering
Operational Sequence
Process & Final Prototypes
Used a sewing machine and the heating machine to build the final working prototypes.
In the building process, the width of the backpack was iterated several times to give enough space for its inflation and deflation.
Side Profile of final prototype
