`

How Design Students Are Reimagining Rescue

`

How Design Students Are Reimagining Rescue

When floodwaters rise, most people run for higher ground. In Roger Ball’s Design for Climate Action course, Georgia Tech students run toward the problem—armed with empathy, data, and a designer’s imagination.

Inside the School of Industrial Design, Ball challenges students to think about climate resilience not as a distant issue, but as a daily design responsibility. “Climate action in design isn’t something you can just theorize,” Ball says. “It’s hands-on, it’s human, and it’s about designing for people at risk.”

Each semester, students in ID4813 Design for Climate Action study how extreme weather reshapes human life—from flood rescues to heatstroke mitigation—and then design tools that make survival more possible. The results range from prototypes that could save lives in hurricanes to innovations that make rescue work safer, faster, and smarter.
 

Designing for Emergencies

That human-centered mindset drives Ball’s students, many of whom developed products for flood-prone regions in China. Industrial Design students Ebube Maduka‑Ugwu and Yangyang He were part of the team behind the RexQ Rescue System, a suite of designs for flood response workers.

 

Maduka-Ugwu designed the Odyssey Flood Rescue Vest, now under patent review. It’s a vest that allows emergency workers to carry children safely across flooded terrain without choking hazards or restricted movement. “One of the rescuers told us, ‘When kids panic, they grab our necks,’” Maduka‑Ugwu recalls. “We realized we could design something that gives both hands back to the rescuer—and dignity back to the child.”

Teammate Yangyang He focused on what happens underfoot. His AquaBoot project tackled the overlooked dangers of submerged hazards and debris. “When rescuers can’t see what’s below, they need protection from sharp objects,” he says. His design—a lightweight, puncture-resistant, waterproof boot—helped demonstrate how something as simple as footwear could be life-saving in a flood response.

Learn more about our Master of Industrial Design students

Designing with empathy

The students’ semester unfolded when they conducted interviews with Blue Sky Rescue, one of China’s leading volunteer disaster relief organizations. “They told us what works and what doesn’t,” says He. “We didn’t just design for them—we designed with them.” 

Using locally available materials, students created prototypes that looked and felt like finished products. “We sourced materials, worked with local fabricators, and had to document every step like a production tech pack. It was as close to the real world as it gets.”

HydroMist diagram showing where water funnels through to the mister

Beyond rescue gear, Ball’s class also birthed a Misting Cone—a reimagined traffic cone that emits a fine water mist to cool roadside workers exposed to extreme heat. “It’s a low-tech fix for a high-risk job,” Ball explains. “Something so simple could save lives during the heat that often follows hurricanes.”

Closeup of HydroMist misting outside


For Ball, it’s about more than building prototypes. “We’re teaching students to think about resilience as design literacy,” he says. “These are wicked problems—issues that existed before you were born and will exist after you die. Our job is to make things a little better along the way.”


That perspective sticks with his students. “It changed how I think about design,” says Maduka‑Ugwu. “It’s not just about form—it’s about foresight.”


For future students, Ball’s message is simple: if you want to make design matter when it counts most, start where it’s hardest. In the flood, in the heat, in the moments where design becomes survival.

Learn more about designing for climate

Have a Question for Us?

 
If you can't find the information you were looking for, we'll get you to the right place.
Contact Us