IDDS (International Development Design Summit) is a collaboration of people with a wide variety of backgrounds: students, mechanics, social workers, doctors, carpenters, farmers, and professors. This year we have 58 participants from more than 20 countries. During IDDS, they join forces to build technologies to improve the quality of life in the developing world at D-Lab. The summit is headed by MIT Senior Lecturer and MacArthur "Genius" Fellow Amy Smith, and is organized by MIT, Olin, and Cooper Perkins and runs for a four week period in over the months of July and August every year.
Participants are divided into teams and attempt to design technologies that address problems in sectors such as energy, water, agriculture and health. The teams are coached by mentors and guest speakers and then showcase their prototypes in the final week of the summit. These prototypes are described in the pages categorized below. Please explore the content to learn more about the accomplishments at IDDS.
2007-2008 IDDS Design Projects[edit | edit source]
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She-ba low cost water filters for rural households
A new water filter design which should address four common problems of household water filtration in less developed regions: slow rates, cleaning difficulties, difficulties adapting to influent variations and unattractive design. -
Fixable Infant Incubator
A safe incubator for local health centers, be easily assembled, be portable, need minimal operating capabilities and will keep the infant warm and hydrated. -
Corn Cob Charcoal Crusher
Crush corn cob charcoal into a powder than can be made into a briquette that does not produce a lot of carbon monoxide and can be used indoors. -
Hand Held Diagnostic Toolin french
By partnering with local health centers, SNAP can bring cheap and reliable diagnostic testing to the people by simplifying sample preparation for diagnostic tests. -
Pearl Millet thresher
The purpose of this project is to design and build an affordable, efficient thresher for pearl millet. -
Picohydro generator
Tools that can be used to easily convert a car alternator into an electric generator for picoHydro systems. -
Power Generation from Mechanical Devices
Convert the motion of the treadle pump, a widespread irrigation tool used by millions in Asia and Africa, into electricity. -
Ropeway in the Himalayas
Design an affordable ropeway to transport roof tiles and various preserves made by a women's cooperative in the village of Ranikhet up steep hills. -
Educational Television Computer
We propose the use of existing $10 TV-Computers to promote education within developing countries. -
Breast Milk HIV Shield
Provide the foundation for what might become a possible solution for reducing the transmission of HIV from mother to child via breast milk. -
Interlocking Stabilized Soil Block (ISSB) Maker
Improve upon existing designs of presses, so that communities can use locally available resources and skills to produce soil blocks in order to make building projects more accessible.
