390 likes | 584 Views
D-Lab. Fall 2004. IAP Trip Details. Time commitment… 3 - 28 January Monetary commitment… Living expenses Visa and passport fees Personal commitment… YES!!. Intermediate Technology. Indigenous Technology. Takes about 1 - 3 hours every day to grind grain for their families
E N D
D-Lab Fall 2004
IAP Trip Details • Time commitment… • 3 - 28 January • Monetary commitment… • Living expenses • Visa and passport fees • Personal commitment… • YES!!
Indigenous Technology • Takes about 1 - 3 hours every day to grind grain for their families • Costs less than $5 for equipment
Industrialized Technology • Takes about 10 seconds to grind the grain for a family for one day • Costs abut $8,000
Intermediate Technology • Takes about 1 - 3 minutes to grind the grain for a family for one day • Costs abut $500
Industrial Technology • Produces about 10,000 bricks per day • Costs abut $23,000
Intermediate Technology • Produces about 500 bricks per day • Costs abut $375
What are appropriate technologies? The traditional definition: • low in capitol costs • uses local materials as much as possible • creates jobs • small scale • can be understood, maintained and repaired locally • uses decentralized, renewable energy sources • does not involve patents, royalties etc.
A Guiding Principle for AT • Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day • Teach a man to fish, and he eats for a life time... unless there’s no river nearby!!
Improvements to Press • Original Design • $100 • Requires 3 people to operate • Improvements • Bracing makes press safer and easier to use • Improved process to eject briquettes • Throughput increased to 2 briquettes/minute
Guiding Principles for D-Lab • Identify functional requirements • Encourage participatory development • Value indigenous knowledge • Promote local innovation • Strive for sustainability