Process

Jake Barton and Samuel Zintl

We chose to work on the issue of back problems, and for our approach to this problem, we thought that if we gave homeless people good supportive backpacks with a hiking frame that it could remove one of the main sources for these injuries. We expanded on that idea to instead be a rack of sorts with many places to attach different things. Including a phone case, a carabiner holder, and perhaps most importantly, a hook to hold plastic or tote bags. These things would provide an alternative method of carrying belongings that otherwise would have to be done with either a bad backpack or using one's hands. The backpack is not a good option because they usually have very poor support and sometimes not a lot of space. We fixed that problem by having waist and hip support from a hiking backpack frame, instead of just shoulder support like most backpacks. 

Final

Jake Barton

The main idea of this project is to provide an alternative method of carrying belongings to the homeless. It is incredibly important that this method provides protection from theft and the elements while also being an easy-to-use way to carry anything one may need to carry. The problem we aimed to solve with this project was the fact that homeless people often face terrible back problems. To solve this we tried to make a frame for carrying many plastic bags. The frame is attached to the support structure for a hiking backpack, so it has waist support as well as shoulder support. This means there is less stress on the back of the person using the frame than if they were using a normal backpack. The frame then uses hooks to carry plastic grocery bags or just about anything else one would need to carry. There is even a prototype for an iPhone case that can attach to the frame, as smartphones are practically essentials for homeless people trying to better their situation. This project would not only prevent back problems in the homeless, but would also provide easy-to-use transportation and storage for pretty much anything. Without back problems, it is much easier to get a job and stop being homeless, so this project seeks to end at least one piece of the cycle of homelessness.