Stephen Mills sought an alternative final year project to his art and design classmates' typical paintings, statues and sculptures and came up with the Homeless Utility Vehicle, or HUV.
In essence, the HUV is a shelter on wheels designed for the needs of homeless people living on the street.
To help understand the daily trials a homeless person undergoes, Mills went unshaven for two weeks, slept in a small trailer in the cold and then on his apartment's hard floor for a week.
The HUV is constructed simply and consists of a plywood base, four wheels and a thin metal frame on which the PVC canopy is mounted.
Though easily portable, the HUV offers protection from the elements while being moved and allows its owner to lie down in relative comfort, shelter and privacy. It also provides storage.
Mills is aware that the design could be seen as an insult to homeless people and acknowledges that its $900 (about £485) of components is outside the scope of someone living on the streets: "This vehicle is by no means a cure for homelessness but rather a concept piece that I have created to explore the issue."
The HUV is now part of an American Express sponsored Members Project, with the possibility of sharing in $2.5 million in funding to bring it from concept to reality. Find out more at www.homelessvehicle.com.
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