Both Italy and Japan have suffered greatly from earthquakes and have developed their own methods of relief. However there is still room for improvement and innovation.  In doing research, the team found that people who stay in their homes after an earthquake suffer both physically and mentally. The goal was to find ways to help and support these House Refugees by supplying them with goods, information, and community.

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The team came up with Kintsugi, a three part automated storage system to help support disaster relief victims.  

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Information Zone: The first need is a lack in giving and receiving information.  To create a communication channel there is a display where information is broadcast to volunteers.

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Auto Food Distribution Zone: The aim of this part is to distribute automatically to people what they need, in particular food.  In doing so, the system has to provide a fixed amount of food per person and, at the same time, it has to control whether someone is trying to steal a greater quantity or not.

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Handed Distribution Zone: In the handed distribution zone. house refugees can get supplies, for example, mothers can get much needed baby supplies.  Hand distribution is important, because it gives a reason for people to talk and connect, forming a stronger community.