GAS CONTAINER

2020
Brief: To design a tangible product that will protect its user (a human being) from a defined situation or threat
This ad-hoc gas container designed for protestors protecting themselves against law enforcement, aims to mitigate the indiscriminate effects of tear gas by containing its spread and stopping the chemical reaction itself. The project also aims to be communal, shareable, and open to modification.
view full project

IDEATION TO DEVELOPMENT

I started my ideation process based on extensive research into existing improvised solutions and strategies, mainly trying to focus on containment, incorporating water as an external component. I ideated these under the pretense that plastic water bottles would be included in the paraphernalia of the user, based on my primary research.

After my ideation stage, I mostly developed my ideas in 3D physical prototyping. I wanted to refocus these ideas using specific ad-hoc materials and thus ended up with using the milk jug as a primary container for the gas. From there I refined the ergonomic details through physical testing, subsituting tear gas cannisters with soda cans.

FINAL DESIGN

In addition to the actual design of the gas container, I wanted to incorporate a communal aspect to it. Taking cues from democratic design theory and companies like Ikea, I made an infographic of how to make the design yourself at home, so that it can be shared through various social media platforms, depending on the context of the protest.

An additional dissemination strategy for the DIY instructions was to use stickers with scannable QR codes that lead to a shared online document that contained the infographic, as well as the ability for users to share their own suggestions to one another. Protestors could generate their own QR codes and their own stickers, sticking them onto jugs in supermarkets guerilla style. The QR code is currently scannable and active.