UMO

UMO represents a modular shelter system designed to provide complementary visual healthcare services in Buenaventura, including optometric examinations and diagnoses, the production of lenses and eyeglasses, and patient follow-up that incorporates traditional knowledge practices. The shelters are conceived to be flexible, transportable, adaptable, and interconnectable through access ramps, enabling their deployment in diverse territorial conditions.

In Buenaventura, access to visual healthcare services is constrained by inadequate infrastructure, high service costs, and the limited quality of eyeglasses available in local markets. In addition, many healthcare practices in the region continue to rely on traditional knowledge transmitted across generations. In alignment with this concept, UMO reflects opportunities for COTECMAR to collaborate with multiple stakeholders to strengthen service provision for civil society, particularly by addressing the needs of vulnerable populations through integrated and context-sensitive solutions.

A low-resolution prototype of the vision concept UMO. The authors are Vanesa Andrade, Mateo Belalcázar, and David Muñoz. The image was captured by Esteban Ríos, and the model was created by Felipe Páez.