Origami-inspired Deployable Shelters for Disaster Relief Scenarios

Abstract

This thesis aimed to develop a deployable origami shelter to be used as short-term emergency shelter following a natural disaster. The concept for a modular shelter consisting of four one-degree of freedom components that transition between a free-standing deployed state and a flat transportable state was developed, modeled, and prototyped. The project’s end design met its design targets in the areas of durability and comfort, but needed improvement in the areas of transportability, weight, and cost.