IIT Madras Students Invent Foldable House for Disaster Victims; Wins National Social Enterprise Idea Challenge

Inspired by the events in 2015 Chennai floods, 4 civil engineering students of IIT Madras has come up with the idea of foldable house for disaster victims. The foldable house can be set up anywhere in a timely manner, is portable and can be folded into a small box in no time.

Fourth year IIT-Madras students, Gobinath P, Shreeram R,Akhilesh DSN and Santhosh GV, are behind this invention. Their invention has caught the attention of media and public from the time the prototype was first launched. Now, this team of promising civil engineers have won Azim Premji University’s national-level Social Enterprise Idea Challenge held in Bengaluru.

Image Source: Times of India.

“During disasters when people need shelter, time management is a crucial factor. This housing facility can be installed in 15 minutes by any non-technical person. The shelter is foldable on three sides, making it compact and portable during calamities. The furnished house becomes a small box within a few minutes; it can be folded 32 times its original size and taken anywhere,” Gobinath toldĀ Times of India.

The walls of the house made of steel and aluminium composite panels are double layered with thermal insulation to provide protection in extreme climatic conditions. The next step is to add more self-sustainability to the house by incorporating restroom fixtures with inbuilt biodigesters and solar panels.