Design+for+the+other+90%


 * Continent of Africa **

The AMD personal internet communicator is great tool for reducing the digital gap in the undeveloped countries. According to the Design for the other 90%, only 16% of the world population has access to the most basic computing technologies. The AMD internet communicator makes possible to have internet access and computing functionality at an affordable prices. AMD has taken upon itself the goal of providing these capabilities to 50% of the world’s population by year 2015. One of the pressing issues for many countries in the African Continent is the accessibility to groundwater, could that be for drinking or irrigation. Bamboo Treadle Pump allows farmers to extract underground water with locally accessible material assembled by local metal craftsmen. The pump itself consists of two metal cylinders with pistons supported by a bamboo structure. There is no need for electricity as the pump works mechanically through a human bicycle motion. The inability for people to have clean drinking water becomes the reason for a number of diseases and a shorter life span in many undeveloped countries. The Ceramic Water Filter provides an easy way to have clean drinking water at the convenience of your home though the combination of filtration capabilities of ceramic material with the anti-bacteriological qualities of colloidal silver. The filtering system has had a great impact in the lives of rural poor people reducing substantially the risk from water born sicknesses. It is estimated that 500,000 people have used this filter. LifeStraw is another example of a water purifier that is small and portable that can turn any surface water into drinking water. The LifeStraw becomes a life saving tool for rural people that travel long distances on foot that have no means of caring water. The LifStraw reduces the possibility of being contaminated from waterborne disease such as typhoid, cholera and diarrhea. According to design for the other 90%, more than 1.6 billion people worldwide lack connection to an electrical system. Many families still use oil lamps for lighting and car batteries to feed radios or televisions. The solar home lighting system allows families to have access to reliable energy source through solar panels installed on the roof of their home. The solar home lighting system enables families to improve their productivity with the use of electrical powered appliances, also allowing children to have a better source of light for their studies.
 * __AMD Personal Internet Communicator__**
 * __Bamboo Treadle Pump__**
 * __Ceramic Water Filter__**
 * __LifeStraw__**
 * __Solar Home Lighting System__**

Looking at the above examples we can deduct five characteristics of socially responsible product designs in continent Africa. They are: 1: Cost Effective. Africa has some of the poorest countries on the world and cost becomes an issue. 2: Easy to operate. Lack of education requires designs that are easy to use and understand. 3: Use of inexpensive materials or free natural resources such as bamboo, underground water, solar power, ceramic containers. 4: Improve health through cleaner practices such in the case of ceramic water filter and LifeStraw. 5: Improve education through the use of AMD personal computer that also increases accessibility of information through the use of the internet __**Citations**__ [|http://other90.cooperhewitt.org]