A group of engineering students and alumni have developed a system of getting potable water to areas cut off by destroyed roads and infrastructure in the wake of disaster, and earned $40,000 from Startup Chile to further develop its idea.  The team making up Tubing Operations for Humanitarian Logistics (TOHL) will relocate to the South American country for six months as part of a program initiated by the Chilean government to encourage entrepreneurial activity in its country.

TOHL makes use of coil tubing typically used in oil fields and employs a helicopter to drop and arrange tubing from above, creating a way for water to reach remote places following a disaster. The tubing, measuring about an inch in diameter, stays above ground and the process can result in getting water to a community within 48 hours. It’s durable enough to be used for up to 100 years with oil, though this application shortens its life span. Using a helicopter to unspool the tubing removes the obstacle of roads or paths that may be blocked, washed out or destroyed.

Tech alumnus Benjamin Cohen will be the first team member to head to Chile in March, with fellow alumnus Apoorv Sinha and students Melissa McCoy, ChBE, and Travis Horsley joining in May.  The TOHL team will convene with more than 200 other entrepreneurs from around the globe during the third round of the incubation program.