Technology to Help the Poor

Many of us living in good homes with proper amenities tend to take energy needs for granted. However in third world countries the demand for such amenities is barely met and can be the cause of great conflict. This is why certain more altruistic members of the scientific community spend time and money in developing technology which can help to improve the lives of the poor. Here are some inventions of recent times that have been hailed by the scientific community and the non profit organizations around the globe.

The Eliodomestico Solar Sill

Designed by Gabriele Diamanti this household sill converts sea water to drinking water using solar power. The award winning design has made it possible for villagers in areas with drinking water shortage to obtain close to five liters of drinking water using this device. The device works sort of like a reverse coffee maker. You pour in the sea water which is then boiled using solar energy and the steam is collected in the lid. This salt free water is then distilled and used for drinking.

The LuminAID light

Anna Stork and Andrea Sreshta developed this solar-inflatable light for use in Haiti’s disaster hit areas. The flat light pack takes hardly any space in storage and can be inflated to use as a lantern. The LED based LuminAID light has been used in humanitarian relief aid in the wake of disasters such as Hurricane Isaac and Hurricane Sandy. It is also an easy illumination for people living away from power lines in remote regions.

We will look at a few more similar science projects that have ended up being helpful to humanity at large in the next blog post.