Initial+Ideas+and+Brainstorming

Today we asked Prof. Jones what exactly he expected from us for the proposal that is due THIS coming Monday February 13, 2012. He wants us to think of a problem and how we could potentially solve it; the design aspect will come after.

Please throw around ideas. Any problems you think of, feel free to write it down.

**Ideas:**
**I really like the 3rd Idea for finding an innovative way to supply energy to households. Also the mechanical bike seems like a good idea too.** **I'm trying to think of something with medical care. SImilar to how (in the video we watched in lab) they taught the women to use the water pump, maybe people who are already in some sort of clinic or nursing can provide the community with certain shots or medical care.** **Oh and the 4th idea is good we can use Haiti as an example and there are a lot of other situations when people are forced to leave their homes.** //**- Jamie**// //**Personally, I like ideas 1 and 3**// //We could write a proposal for both and get feedback from Jones.// - Suezan

1. Transportation is an issue in many underdeveloped countries. While people suffer from low incomes and lack of resources, the cheapest mode of transportation would be the bicycle. We could re-design the bicycle in such a way that could help those people living in these underdeveloped countries to go about their daily lives without running into any problems.

I like the idea of redesigning the bicycle. While there is the World Bike Prototype, [], we could redesign the compartment into segments allowing them to separate their food instead of dumping it all in one big bag. Moreover, combining this idea with a solar energy machine that would help store energy in the bike and be used for small periods when the person would be tired. As it is outlines, the people in Africa have to travel long distances to get to their farms and back home, a sort of mechanized bicycle alongside a new compartment system could benefit them.

Redesigning the bags the people in Africa use as bag carrier would also be something interesting to look at, Instead of the usual plastic or straw made bags they use, something more eco-friendly and green could be proposed.

Feel free to put in more ideas so we can all come up with one design to focus on.

2. Access to computing technologies (i.e. the internet) in Africa. This hinders the lack of information, probably the low literacy rates, and their education system.

3. Energy alone is not sufficient for creating the conditions for economic growth, but it is certainly necessary. It is impossible to operate a factory, run a shop, grow crops or deliver goods to consumers without using some form of energy. Access to electricity is particularly crucial to human development as electricity is, in practice, indispensable for certain basic activities, such as lighting, refrigeration and the running of household appliances, and cannot easily be replaced by other forms of energy. Individuals’ access to electricity is one of the most clear and un-distorted indication of a country’s energy poverty status.

Solution: using biomimicry, an innovation method that seeks sustainable solutions by imitating nature's patterns and strategies. For example, firefly's give off their light...how?

4. Lack of shelter/housing when people are displaced from their original locations. Solution: portable (foldable homes).

5. Waste reduction (recycling and incineration) problem in developing countries

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 * New Idea:** The redesign of the helmet

[]. Ideas on how to present for presentation.