A team of students from the Royal Danish Academy has developed an emergency shelter that could make surviving in sub-zero climates, such as in the Arctic, much more manageable. They designed a pop-up igloo with an origami-like design that helps anchor the tent and keep the insides warm, just like a polar bear's skin.

The pop-up igloo could also be deployed in seconds and positioned along hiking routes during emergencies. The invention was recently awarded Winner Of The Year at the Design Educates Awards under the category of Product Design.

Origami-Like Pop-Up Igloo Inspired From Polar Bears Designed to Become Emergency Shelters for Stranded Hikers in Arctic Conditions
(Photo : Unsplash/Abhi Verma)
Origami-Like Pop-Up Igloo Inspired From Polar Bears Designed to Become Emergency Shelters for Stranded Hikers in Arctic Conditions

The Science Behind the Pop-Up Igloo

The team, led by Henry Glogau and Samuel Barratt, explained that their design aims to help those stranded and lost in extreme Arctic conditions with little visibility, no phone coverage, and susceptible to hypothermia, a severe immediate threat when help is hours away.

MailOnline reports that the project proposes an alternative shelter design that will harness the extreme cold temperatures to its advantage rather than fight it. With its origami-like design and mylar material, the tent transforms into a warm pop-up igloo.

Furthermore, the aerodynamic water droplet formed during string winds anchors the igloo to the ground while simultaneously dispersing wind forces.

"At the microscale, local level turbulence is created within the origami pockets, encouraging snow to naturally build up in blizzard-like situations, thereby creating a natural insulation and protection layer," MailOnline quoted the team.

Researchers assured that the tent could withstand the weight of a 154lb (70kg) human standing on top to remain stable and intact in blizzard-like conditions. It is because the internal fiberglass lattice structure is connected to the outer layer of the origami outer shell.

The team put the tent through rigorous testing for one month in Alaska to see its capability and limit. The results showed that at 11.8 to 15 inches (300 to 400mm) of snow cover, a 37°C (66.6°F) difference in temperature between inside and outside could be maintained on average. In contrast, a conventional tent for winter-only offers a 13°C (23.4°F) difference.

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Pop-Up Igloo Inspired From Polar Bears

According to Simply Science, polar bears are warm-blooded mammals that live in the icy Arctic region. Their thick fat and fur help them retain heat under their skin to survive the extreme cold in the Arctic.

They have two types of fur that keep them warm - the long oily guard hairs and short insulating hairs. The long oily guard hair is hollow and traps warmth and brings it close to the skin to keep polar bears warm by providing them an oily layer. Meanwhile, the insulating hair traps heat close to the skin.

By combining the properties of these two hairs and their black skin underneath, which is good for absorbing rays of the Arctic sun, the polar bears can keep themselves warm.

The team noted that the design of the origami-like pop-up igloo also gives heat to its inhabitants in the same fashion. The mylar material incorporated inside the origami structure acts similarly, as it reflects the heat into the space inside the tent to keep its inhabitants warm.

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