The Exo looks like some sort of space station, but it’s actually a clever housing unit for emergency shelter situations.  A cargo truck can carry about 15 of these — packed in two pieces, the base and upper shell — and a team of four can move and set one up in under two minutes.  When assembled and connected, Exo has lighting, climate control, wall outlets, and four fold-down beds.

The floor plate weighs 371 pounds, while the shell weighs 406 pounds.  The floors are made of birch, and the shell has 3″ of rigid insulation and a coat of Tegris on the inside and outside.

Exo is almost completely recyclable, and it’s free of PVC and formaldehyde.  The lighting is with mercury-free LEDs and the total livable area comes to about 76 square feet.

Reaction Systems, Inc., the company behind Exo, has been demonstrating the new system in a hangar in Texas.  It seems like a no-brainer and could provide a temporary but respectable shelter replacement on a moment’s notice, assuming a relief organization has the units ready for deployment.

[+] More info on Exo in the Reaction Housing System.

Credits: Reaction Systems, Inc.