Thursday, April 28, 2011

NID students design self-cleaning military tents

AHMEDABAD: Despite being constantly on the move, army tents will remain squeaky clean if a design by the students of NID is to be implemented. A tent that cleans itself as the sunrays fall on it - is what students of National Institute of design (NID) have designed for the armed forces.

As part of their academic project, a student of textile design Sanjay Miskin and another student of product design Anand Karelia have selected nano technology fabric for the tent. The property of the nano technology fabric which uses titanium dioxide is such that the dirt and stains on the fabric gets cleaned as sunrays fall on it.

The students' project which was carried out during their internship at the Institute of Plasma Research (IPR) at Gandhinagar redesigned the conventional military tents which have 26 joints each with ones having joints reduced to 10.

Talking about the advantage of reducing the number of joints, Miskin Said, "What would usually require four people to set up or dismantle and fold the tent would now require only two people because of the lesser number of joints and the better ergonomics that we have designed."

Apart from incorporating aerodynamic features in their design, the students also suggested use of flexible solar films on the tents to recharge batteries for lighting at night. Other features of the tent include fluoro carbon coating on the material to make it water repellent, and use of phosphorous-based compounds on the fabrics to make it water retardant.

While the students said that they have developed the product by consulting defense personnel and their tents, they intend to take it forward in their next project and propose it to the defense authorities.

Miskin said, "We intend to take the project forward. We are looking for the right kind of support that will help us in making a real prototype of the tent during our next project and then present it to the defense officials."
Source: Timesofindia

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