IKEA program seeks to brighten lives of refugees in UN camps
A two-month campaign to raise funds to provide solar-powered lighting in refugee camps run by the UN has been launched by an international home-furnishings company. The IKEA Foundation will donate just over one US dollar to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) for every LED light bulb it sells in its stores around the world. The […]
Rescue Tunnel
Air Rope is an inflatable rescue tunnel that can be deployed during flood situations. It is a safer option to the rope pulley system and is easier to use. Instead of braving the torrent and crossing the river to secure a pulley system, the inflatable air walk is used. Air is pumped into a doughnut-shaped […]
RSA – Natural Disaster relief – 2005/06
Stuart Williamson Industrial Designer Macclesfield, Cheshire, United Kingdom Ensuring the immediate supply of food/medicines/water is a key priority in responding to disaster situations. Supplies have to be delivered quickly and efficiently and this can often be difficult due to remote locations/bad weather and limited transportation available. Maximizing the capability of these supplies is vital. Examine […]
Uganda is up to speed – electric
“The car is ready, the Kiira EV can pick speed very fast, the motor stands strong, the reverse is perfect, it properly climbed a 55 degrees incline, the performance is good” exclaimed Mr Paul Isaac Musasizi, the Project Manager of the Vehicle Design Mission at Makerere University, which has produced Uganda’s first electric car. The vehicle for […]
Use Earthquakes to monitor them
No doubt earthquakes have tremendous power – for: break things. It would be much smarter to use the brute forces of nature for something meaningful. This though in mind, a student of the New Zealand Victoria University developed a seismic sensor, which is driven by the force of the earthquake that he just studied and documented. […]
Play your way to clean electricity
Soccket brings electricity to developing nations. Soccket is a soccer ball that generates and stores energy while in play. This energy can be used as clean electricity, bringing light to many homes. Currently, many developing nations rely on kerosene lamps to supply light in the evening. These lamps are dangerous, they emit toxic fumes and […]
GiraDora – self-powered washing
The Art Center College of Design’s social impact design department, Designmatters, with the Environmental Design department, led a special educational studio called, Safe Agua Peru with the aim to create designs that help to relieve water poverty. The project efforts were focused on the area of, Cerro Verde, a 30,000-person slum [asentamientos] in Lima, Peru. […]
Earthquake-Proof Table for schools
It is common to teach schoolchildren to take refuge under their desks in the event of an earthquake. However, these structures are not always been designed with the task of protection in mind. The Earthquake-Proof Table is specially designed to function both as a normal school desk and as protective shelter during an earthquake. The […]
BioLite provides warmth and power
There are many things that an individual or a community needs during the aftermath of disaster. Two essential needs are a way to heat water and food and a way to communicate with the outside world. The BioLite stove offers a way to meet both of these needs. BioLite works as both a stove and […]
AirBurr stumbles – but is unstoppable
Robots capable of flight in cramped and cluttered environments have many advantages over their ground-based counterparts, but most current systems suffer from the same fundamental problem: any contact with obstacles has catastrophic, mission-ending results. What if instead of avoiding collisions, a flying robot can become robust to them, and even take advantage of contact with […]
