Students Win Contest to Design Emergency Sleep Pods for Shelters

Lightweight, easy-to-assemble sleep pods aim to provide privacy and comfort for those in crisis

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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Three students - Julia Norat, Jessica Wiens, and Mariia Plugar - won an innovation contest hosted by NapBox, a leading manufacturer of modular sleep pods, to design an ultra-lightweight, easy-to-assemble enclosed sleep pod for emergency sites and shelters. After rigorous testing, NapBox launched the first product at the Disaster Expo in Houston in November 2025, and the pods are now deployed across nonprofit shelter programs and humanitarian operations.

Why it matters

The idea came from the reality that when disasters strike and shelters fill up, people often sleep in crowded gymnasiums on cots or hard floors, with little privacy or personal space. For emergency responders and displaced individuals, this compounds stress and trauma. The student-designed sleep pods aim to provide more dignity and comfort for those in crisis situations.

The details

The students' solution assembles in minutes using one tool, is light enough to lift with one hand, and creates a personal space even in crowded environments. After visiting shelters, the students asked why emergency sleep solutions are so bulky, slow to deploy, and lacking privacy. Through digital models and material research, they developed a pod concept prioritizing speed, weight, and enclosure. When the students presented their concept, the design quickly moved toward production, with NapBox engineers refining the pod while keeping its core goals.

  • The students won the NapBox design contest in early 2026.
  • The first NapBox emergency sleep pods were launched at the Disaster Expo in Houston in November 2025.
  • The sleep pods are now deployed across nonprofit shelter programs and humanitarian operations.

The players

Julia Norat

One of the three students who won the NapBox design contest to create an emergency sleep pod for shelters.

Jessica Wiens

One of the three students who won the NapBox design contest to create an emergency sleep pod for shelters.

Mariia Plugar

One of the three students who won the NapBox design contest to create an emergency sleep pod for shelters.

NapBox

A leading manufacturer of modular sleep pods that hosted the design contest and launched the student-designed emergency sleep pods.

Andrew Jamel

The head of the Nonprofit Division at NapBox.

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What they’re saying

“People in crisis deserve more than a cot in a hallway.”

— Mariia Plugar

“Three students identified a real gap, did the hard design work, and showed up with something simple to build.”

— Andrew Jamel, Head of Nonprofit Division, NapBox

“After months of iteration, seeing our product helping people in difficult situations means everything to us — it reminds us why we started this in the first place.”

— Jessica Wiens

What’s next

The sleep pods are now deployed across nonprofit shelter programs and humanitarian operations, and organizations like The Bowery Mission and the YMCA report meaningfully improved sleep, recovery, and dignity for those using the pods.

The takeaway

The student-designed emergency sleep pods demonstrate how innovative, human-centered design can provide more comfort and dignity for those in crisis situations, addressing a critical need in shelter and humanitarian response efforts.