Innovators Present Solutions For Developing World

Engineers doing their part to help change the world:

Question: What do a pedal-powered grain mill, a Guatemalan bicycle mechanic, and MIT students have in common? 

Answer: The first International Development Design Summit, which has featured dozens of participants from around the world working together over the past month to create real, workable solutions to problems in the developing world.

This year's projects include:

• Off-grid refrigeration for rural areas using evaporative cooling methods.
• Microbial Fuel Cells using microbes in their natural environments and locally available materials to generate electricity in the developing world.
• Biodigester slurry separation to lessen the burden of water collection.
• Low-cost greenhouse from recycled and easily available materials.
• Low-cost water testing kit to give developing communities and small scale NGOs the ability to test water sources and supply chains.
• Pedal-powered hammer mill to produce flour from grains.
• A system that combines the collection, transport, disinfection and delivery of drinking water for the rural household.
• Low-cost, modular water filtration unit to provide clean drinking water.
• Patient health tracking system using Radio Frequency Identification.
• Improved cook stove to reduce smoke production, built with locally available materials.

For more information about the summit visit www.iddsummit.org.