Night Loo (Photo – Stephen Swintek)
If necessity is the mother of invention, some inventions are ideal for the most basic necessities.
By Garrett Rowlan
One of those, surely, is the need to take are of one’s own necessities–but for many women the world over, particularly women in refugee camps, the walk to a shared restroom by night is one filled with the possibility of assault, rape.
To this end, ArtCenter College of Design’s Anna Meddaugh invented the Night Loo, a repurposed port-a-potty designed to prevent this kind of danger for refugee women. “The circumstances within refugee camps can lead to unimaginable choices,” Ms. Meddaugh said. “Imagine having to weigh the likelihood of being attacked or raped while trying to get to the toilet or suffering through the night or soiling onself.”
Her invention is one less way to avoid choosing the lesser of two evils. Night Loo’s shape–something resembling a cross between a restaurant’s take-out box and a nun’s veil, and set in a silicone container–is designed for this particular need. The flaps on either side can be folded over, thus sealing-in the discharge, and its odor, so that can be more safely deposited in the daylight.
Her device was one of the twenty inventions for the prestigious James Dyson Award few years ago. In addition, Night Loo has already been cited for its sustainability, social impact, and was the official selection the 2018 Global Grad Show.
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