AshaBag
Name(s) of graduate(s):Johanna Klein
2025
Description
AshaBag (asha = hope) is a hybrid design product for children between 5 and 14 years old that combines a (school) backpack and a life jacket. It is designed for use in flood-prone, poorer regions of the world, where sudden, extreme weather events are increasing due to climate change and, at the same time, many children do not learn to swim. In an emergency, an integrated life jacket is unfolded and air is trapped inside the backpack. By the child sitting on the backpack, the air flows into the jacket via a one-way valve. The backpack is then put back on and the jacket is fastened in front of the body. Handling is designed for simple, fast, and intuitive activation of the system. The pattern made of TPU-coated fabric enables a nearly waste-free manufacture and a local, cost-effective production. The goal is to increase children’s chances of survival through an independent possibility for action.
Johanna Klein
2025
Description
AshaBag (asha = hope) is a hybrid design product for children between 5 and 14 years old that combines a (school) backpack and a life jacket. It is designed for use in flood-prone, poorer regions of the world, where sudden, extreme weather events are increasing due to climate change and, at the same time, many children do not learn to swim. In an emergency, an integrated life jacket is unfolded and air is trapped inside the backpack. By the child sitting on the backpack, the air flows into the jacket via a one-way valve. The backpack is then put back on and the jacket is fastened in front of the body. Handling is designed for simple, fast, and intuitive activation of the system. The pattern made of TPU-coated fabric enables a nearly waste-free manufacture and a local, cost-effective production. The goal is to increase children’s chances of survival through an independent possibility for action.