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Awarded by the National Innovation Agency in the contest Born From Knowledge, the secret of the Nautilus tent is its fabric. With hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties, it enables the gathering, recovery and conversion of the air’s humidity into clean water, safe for drinking, as well as its storage and transportation.
Conceived by Inês Secca Ruivo and Cátia Bailão Silva, in the context of their Masters in Design at Universidade de Évora, the tent also features an attractive design, it is easily assembled and disassembled, and thanks to its ergonomic handles can be comfortably carried.
For now, the prized solution consists of a coating that is applied to the fabric, but the designers are already working on a concept that incorporates the technology – that is patent pending, at both national and European levels – within the fabric itself.
The project that started with a Masters’ thesis in Product Design in 2015 spawned because of the refugee crisis: a global problem that affected 70 million people, who had no access to shelter or even drinking water. With its hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties, Nautilus not only captures water particles – nocturnal humidity or morning fog – as it also accelerates its flow for storage and transportation.
Awarded in the category “Advanced Materials and Production Technology” in the contest put together by the National Innovation Agency, the two Design Masters will now benefit from the BfK Rise programme for three months, which will fast-track the Born from Knowledge projects. The next step Nautilus will take is to swiftly move to the industrial phase of production.
