Evidence Protection Kit

In October 2021, I had the opportunity to collaborate with the local police school at Umeå University and specialists from the Swedish police’s forensic department. The project aimed to identify design opportunities that enhance the operational workflow of crime scene investigators, particularly in the extreme weather conditions of northern Scandinavia. Engaging directly with police officers and forensic specialists, I gained firsthand insights into their challenges, needs, and field experiences. One key finding was the lack of professional tools designed to protect critical evidence from harsh environments such as rain, snow, ice, and wind, while also shielding the scene from the public eye.

The result of this project was the Evidence Protection Kit - a portable, ultra-lightweight solution designed to shield crime scene evidence from environmental factors while maintaining a professional and authoritative visual presence. The kit consists of two standalone, foldable pop-up tents made from waterproof materials, each measuring 100x90x50 cm. These units can be zipped together to create a larger, body-sized protective cover (200x90x50 cm). Designed for rapid deployment, the tents set up in under 25 seconds for a single unit and 50 seconds for the dual configuration. Integrated spring metal bands sewn into the rim allow the entire system to be compactly folded down to just 35x35 cm, with a total weight of only 1.6 kg, ensuring effortless transport in any police vehicle. The tents can be secured against wind using tent pegs or by weighing down the side flaps with heavy objects such as traffic pylons.

This project was highly hands-on, involving extensive prototyping, testing, and iteration to create a fully functional, field-ready prototype. Exploring materials, refining collapsibility, and stress-testing the setup process were key parts of the development phase, making this project not only a design challenge but also a very fun hands-on softgood protoyping exercise.

The final project visuals you see on this website were created by combining real-life images of the functional prototype with a 3D-scanned CAD model and photoshopped 2D graphics.