The scarcity of ventilators has put many at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenge here was to build a light, portable ventilator made from easy-to-access, recyclable materials. This ventilator should also optimize human resources in the disaster field by providing breathing automation during resuscitation. Centralized monitoring could simultaneously control several ventilators in order to alleviate first responders' tasks during disaster relief efforts.

Due to COVID-19, organized disaster relief efforts were slower to deploy as they had to adjust to the new context. Community-led efforts have had to fill in as they could on the ground, setting up shelters, organizing volunteers, and coordinating tasks, mainly through text message and excel spreadsheets. An application or easily accessible online system to coordinate community-led efforts to respond to natural disasters locally would streamline these activities and make them more effective. 

Normally in a natural disaster with many residents displaced, organizations will set up shelters in large spaces like gymnasiums, offering rows of cots and provisions. With COVID-19, this option has not been available due to high risk of spread. Thus, these organizations have been stretching their budgets to cover hotel costs for evacuees. Are there innovative mitigation measures that would allow for the more financially sustainable and streamlined temporary shelters to be in use again?

Due to COVID-19 the congregate sheltering option is limited. Organizations like the Red Cross have begun placing those impacted by larger disasters into hotel rooms. In this context, they are trying to provide additional services (feeding, health, mental health, etc.) to a large number of people dispersed throughout counties and states. They are looking for a solution that would allow each evacuee to check in each day and provide an update regarding their status and their needs.

When a person deploys to assist in a disaster situation they make certain to take all of their physical needs
with them (e.g. Clothing, food, et.c), but what they do not take with them is a guide to taking care of their mental wellbeing. Arming volunteers with a mental health toolbox app would allow the user to quickly access resources to assist individuals through a mental health crisis could markedly lower the stress in the volunteer and assist the individual through the crisis.

In the midst of COVID-19 supply chain failures have affected many communities, including disaster relief efforts. The idea is to build a configurable microfactory with various manufacturing technologies to address this issue. Make whatever you need, when you need it. On site.

Due to limited space and supplies, disaster relief workers often have to share tents during deployments. When they can't maintain the safe distancing practices for COVID-19, what other solutions could help to keep them safe from contracting the virus? A barrier to separate them and perhaps even repel or kill the virus would be beneficial.

Transportation of supplies and people is a huge challenge for many organizations responding to natural disasters and it became even more so in the context of COVID-19. There is a potential point of collaboration here among the multiple relief organizations, who could share information and coordinate shared transportation. A common solution for coordinating

transportation needs across organizations would be immensely beneficial.

When natural disaster hits, displaced residents need a variety of services. Laundry is one of those essential services, as they often have more limited clothing options and donated items need to be laundered as well. A deployable on-site laundry facility would make this service available quickly.

Winner of the iEX Design Award, PANDEMI VENT 800 is a  $300 Open Source ventilator built using highly available commodity hardware, a novel low-cost sensor package, and 3D printed parts. It includes all basic features of a ventilator, in addition to a centralized monitoring station and a resuscitation automated assistance breathing mode. 

Winners of the User Experience Award, The Acumen Solutions team designed a disaster relief management application to allow organizers to manage volunteers, donations, healthcare, and social media communications. It also features a community portal for volunteers to sign up to help. 

Winners of the Feasibility Award, Team Safe Haven II designed a physical prototype featuring a modular, easy-to-assemble barrier to create private spaces that are easy to sterilize. Their procedural solution featured check-in protocols and updated floor plans to facilitate distance, ventilation, and user movement.  

Winners of the Business Value Award, Team Aid Station, a collaborative effort between companies Medi-Code and InstaMD, worked on a mulit-interface application that would allow the Red Cross to replace their Excel spreadsheets to more efficiently coordinate volunteers, service providers, and clients (evacuees) in one place. 

Winners of the Innovation Award, the Okaya digital assistant application allows disaster relief managers to monitor the mental state of first responders and workers in the field. Depending on their state, it also recommends mental health resources to first responders and inhabitants tailored to their particular needs. The application can function with or without connectivity. 

Team Mental Toolkit designed a mental health application that allows responders to enter and customize their own wellbeing plan, reminders, and tools to support them before, during and after an incident. It also helps them to monitor and effectively assist someone in crisis. 

Utilizing shipping containers, the microfactory is a transportable manufacturing (and recycling) system that can be delivered to disaster zones to provide the tools, technology, and machinery needed to make, repair and recycle critical items on site from accessible raw materials. 

Team Tent Dividers devised a multi-stage approach to protect all personnel and equipment by 1) misting FDA approved BIOCENCE on all hard and soft surfaces and 2) providing modular personal protective tents with a replaceable filter system and made of antimicrobial materials. 

The team proposed a centralized communication and coordination system to aggregate needs and optimize transportation across multiple disaster relief agencies and organizations. The solution builds on Auxilia to identify what organizations need on the ground, adding a new application for fulfillment, tracking, and prioritization.  

In order to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 spread in a congregate shelter for evacuees, the team - composed of all women Veterans and one military spouse - explored different options for physical barriers, check-in, and sanitization. Their multifaceted solution included equipment maintenance, client check-in guidelines, tent assignments and rules, and facility engagement procedures. 

The team endeavored to design a mobile, compact, stand-alone laundry system that can be used during disaster relief efforts. The system can be transported easily on a trailer and contains its own water supply (fresh water storage tanks), own grey water container (storage tank), and own power supply (8000W gasoline generator).