Apocalypse-Proof Floating Lifeboat Tent Is Serious Survival Gear

Kelly Phillips Badal
·Editor
Updated

New reports from NASA say that rising sea levels are more dangerous than anyone has thought and that a three-foot rise is unavoidable.

The prospect of higher water levels, epic storms, and other dangers inspired designers Zhou Ying and Niu Yuntao to create a floating emergency shelter that could save lives when disaster strikes.

The 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is a troubling reminder of the potential threats. Low-lying New Orleans is still at risk of disastrous flooding if another hurricane hits.

Full Coverage: Hurricane Katrina 10 Years Later

This tent-boat mashup won’t solve the problem, but it is a clever example of how creative design can help.

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A mashup of a lifeboat and a tent, the Duckweed Survival House protects people from large waves as they try to get to safety. It recently won the 2015 Red Dot Award.

The rubber duck-like shelter is designed to remain upright regardless of the surface it’s on. It can be quickly inflated thanks to a built-in high-pressure carbon dioxide gas chamber. Fresh air enters via an air vent on the roof of the structure. An underwater stem, containing the gas tank at its base, offers a stabilizing function and also a filtration function.

Then there’s the coolest and arguably most essential feature: A reverse osmosis film near the base of the stem admits and converts seawater to drinking water, which can be accessed through an inlet in the base.

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Individual shelters can be clustered together in order to increase stability and visibility, and fluorescent markers help rescuers easily locate the structures at night.

With all the alarming climate change news coming out now, put your order in fast.

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