Isolation-Observation Units are self-contained medical laboratories and detention barracks used by Alliance Research and Rescue to monitor infected subjects with a view to determining the source of infection. In practice, they are expensive jailhouses used to segregate the sick from the well.

Iso-obso units are modular and can be connected to one another via recessed airlocks to enlarge their storage capacity.

The isolation portion of the unit provides minimal accomodation for up to 40 individuals with bunk beds and common toilet facilities. There is an unfortunate tendency to overcrowd these units, which feature bunk beds, mess tables, and little else.

The observation portion of the unit contains medical scanners, lab equipment, “interview rooms” and security cameras to monitor the infected occupants. Separate clean room entryways ensure that the scientists are not exposed to the infection, and these clean rooms can be linked by their own sealed corridors.

Large concentrations of iso-obso units are usually placed behind tall fences that are guarded, as in the case of the Quarantine Monitoring Station on Blackwood.