Portable Research Platform for use in the Amazon
FIELDS:Product Design
Description
Portable platform for researching Harpy Eagles in the Amazon.
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RISD Portfolios
- Portable Research Platform for Endangered Harpy Eagles in the Amazon Rainforest
- When I volunteered for INPA (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia) The National Institute of the Animals of the Amazon, a division of the Brazilian government, I helped monitor populations of endangered Harpy Eagles. In order to observe them in the wild, I had to set up a permanent observation platform in a tree near their nest.
The older platforms we used were heavy wooden planks supported by metal cables. It took three days to set up a platform and the small metal components frequently plummeted to the jungle floor. There had to be an easier way to monitor the birds.The new structure was inspired by the tent like collapsible structure of an umbrella. 
- The mobile observation platform is made from leftover scrap carbon fiber tubes from a windsurfing mast factory.
It can fold in half to be carried like a backpack. The support poles fold for easier transport. The semi column in the middle is
attached to the tree’s trunk by taut green fabric straps and locked in place. 
- Above: Basic structure of the system
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