EMPOWER
Professor Zweig and his architecture students constructed refuge cities, designed to house many people using as little space as necessary. They relayed to us ways helpful products could be infused into their constructed-environments on individual, street, and city levels. We then began several weeks of extensive research to explore various approach options. Our objective was to provide tools to help refugees settle and thrive within their hypothetical transplant cities. Professor Zweig's students provided us with great insight about each potential city, and the places refugees would be fleeing.
The final form of this project was heavily influenced by user-website interactions. The team designed several iterations of potential products and user-interactivity before identifying the most efficient and useful project design.
OMH CART
We decided to design an electric cart/scooter that would allow for mobility and also give back any excess energy that was created directly to the cities infrastructure for the communities use.
POWER ECONOMIC MODEL
The team’s first step was to determine what was going to help people to thrive in their new environment. Research revealed that displaced people shared commonalities across all four regions: We noticed they tend to gather near power sources to charge their various devices. Clusters of people traveling on foot share a constantly changing community space. This was an important factor when deciding how to approach the new economy.
CART SYSTEM + WELCOME MODULES
Was designed to work with the cart to allow to easy transportation of all the essential products the refugees would need to get acquainted within the city.
POWER BANK
Is the key to our power economic system, it was designed to serve as the key to Ohm Cart. It was also designed to be utilized as a digital wallet to keep up with the refugees currency balance and able to send and receive power currency.
POWER WELL
Was created as an area to distribute and collect excess power that was generated by Ohm Carts.
POWER ECONOMIC MODEL
After a few sit downs with Professor Zweig, we were able to finalize a Power Economic System that everyone could agree upon. Our new model allowed us to help empower the individual and the community at the same time.
WELCOME MODULES
Using key insights we learned from Cat Benoit, the Administrative Coordinator at the non-profit Houston Welcomes Refugees we were able to create a welcome kit system that was designed to be integrated with the OHM Cart. The kits the incoming refugees would receive are based on a survey that would be filled out upon entering the city.
POWER BANK
A rounded Power Bank made the most sense to us. We were able to incorporate a turning bezel that would allow the user to navigate through out the interface.
