Course Notes

D-Lab’s Nathan Cooke took notes during most class sessions. These notes are provided in a single file, and the pages about each class session are referenced in the following table.

Complete class notes (PDF - 5.2MB)

Selected lecture slides and other notes are provided in the Other Resources column.

See also the Flickr photo collection of various classes and activities.

WEEK #	SES #	TOPICS	CLASS NOTES	OTHER RESOURCES
1	1	Introduction: design for development	pp. 3–4	Slides (PDF - 5.0MB)
2	2	Design, innovation, invention, and the design process Case studies: Q-drum, LifeStraw, Freeplay radio, solar cookers, treadle pumps, iDE drip irrigation kit	pp. 5–6	Slides (PDF - 3.5MB)
2	3	Case study discussion Charcoal press case study Introduction to Mini Projects	pp. 7–9	Slides (PDF - 3.8MB)
3	4	Mini Project Idea generation Experimentation Prototyping	p. 10
3	5	Mini Project Concept evaluation Detail design Fabrication	p. 11	D-Lab News writeup
4	6	Mini Project Testing & evaluation Repeat
4	7	Mini Project Presentations Graphical representation of information Presentation skills	pp. 12–13
5	8	Project presentations and selection	pp. 14–15
5	9	Build-It modules		From D-Lab Resources collection: Cast Corn Sheller (PDF - 1.2MB) Sheet Metal Corn Sheller (PDF) Charcoal Press (with Teaching Notes) (PDF)
6	10	Build-It modules (cont.)
6	11	Phase 1 Design Review Project background Problem statement Design specs	pp. 16–17
7	12	Manufacturing in the developing world Design for Manufacture Film: No Spare Parts. Director, David Springbett. Asterisk Productions, 1990. 22 min.	pp. 18–19	Slides (PDF - 3.8MB)
7	13	Phase 2 Design Review Idea generation Experimental results Concept evaluation	pp. 20–21
8	n/a	Spring break — field trips, no classes
9	14	Human factors	p. 22
9	15	Design for [X]: usability, affordability, sustainability, reuse, failure Case studies: wheelchairs & cookstoves	pp. 23–24	Slides (PDF - 2.0MB)
10	16	Guest speakers: Paul Polak & Shawn Frayne	pp. 25–27	D-Lab News writeup
10	17	Phase 3 Design Review Detail design Analysis Experimental results	p. 28
11	18	Green Engineering 1 (with guest speaker Ben Linder)	pp. 29–30
11	19	Green Engineering 2 (with guest speaker Ben Linder)	pp. 31–32
12	20	Phase 3 Design Review Prototypes (with guest mentor Ralph Hotchkiss)	p. 33
13	21	Guest speaker: Suprio Das	pp. 34–35	D-Lab News writeup
13	22	Guest speaker: Bernard Kiwia	pp. 36–37	D-Lab News writeup
14	23	Scaling up (with guest speaker Sarah Bird and Gwyn Jones)	pp. 38–40
	24	Practice session for MIT Museum presentations
	25	Presentations at MIT Museum (D-Lab Spring Showcase event)		Photo collection of the Showcase event
15	26	Penultimania	p. 41	Slides (PDF - 3.7MB)
15	27	What next…? Evaluations

« Back: Course Notes

Suprio Das, independent inventor from Kolkata, India, was our guest lecturer for the D-Lab: Design class yesterday. D-Lab is hosting Suprio for over a month as Designer-In-Residence in the lab for a myriad of reasons: he is taking advantage of MIT resources to refine his design of a chlorine doser that flushes automatically with no moving parts for rural India, he is advising D-Lab teams on their design projects, he took part in the Innovators Night panel held last week, and he lectured today sharing his knowledge and expertise with our students.

Suprio kicked off his lecture presenting what drives his motivation to do technology invention in very constrained environments: the starking contrast between the most wealthy leaders of his home state and the dire conditions in which most of his fellow countrymen live. He continued on to describe sources of inspiration found in how everyday problems are tackled creatively: from additions to rickshaws to prevent the chain from coming off, to improved ways on how to dry dung paddies more effectively, to ingenious hacks that people use to take electricity from the grid.

Rickshaw chain hack. (Courtesy of Nathan Cooke.)

Stealing electricity “safely.” (Courtesy of Nathan Cooke.)

Suprio delved into the details and technicalities of the projects in which he has been involved since he left his regular job, and the insights gained over the years. He was initially involved in sourcing underground water, and reflected on the implications of having arsenic in the water, and where all the arsenic goes once it is filtered out from the water. Suprio later worked on generating electricity using human power by integrating it into the routine work of people, instead of making it a separate activity; observing higher rates of technology adoption by so doing. Another of the topics that Suprio touched on his lecture included mechanisms for transferring reciprocating motion (such as that of a water pump) into unidirectional circular motion (such as that of a bicycle) and viceversa; and the different iterations of his latest project: the chlorine doser.

For the last 20 minutes, we had a question and answer session with the students, who inquired from how did he see himself playing a role in the larger picture of poverty alleviation to getting his advice on how to become an inventor or tackle difficult problems. To the latter, he commented on breaking the problem into smaller and more feasible sub-components and addressing them as individual problems. One doesn’t need to be an expert in all domains, but rather identify who else around you has the expertise to solve these individual problems. To the question on how to become an inventor, he recommended to look out for what sucks, and start working to fix it and improve it. Keep in mind at all times that one may not succeed at first, but it is important to persevere. Suprio added that the most satisfying part of his current activities is to enjoy both the joy of creation and the joy of giving away his inventions to the people that need them the most.

Photo of Suprio Das standing in front of a projected photo of a water well.

Suprio lecturing in the D-Lab: Design class. (Photo courtesy of Nathan Cooke.)

Photo of Suprio Das speaking about a chalkboard drawing of bicycle drivetrain.

Suprio lecturing in the D-Lab: Design class. (Photo courtesy of Nathan Cooke.)

Additional Resources

Suprio Das “D-Lab Innovators” profile

Zimba water chlorination project

“The Cycle of Light.” MumbaiMirror.com. July 6, 2008. Accessed June 26, 2012.

Suprio Das in a panel discussion at Spring 2010 D-Lab Innovators Night. Suprio’s talk is from 12:30 to 27:00. (This video is from MIT TechTV, and is not covered under our Creative Commons license.)

View video page

Dugwells for Arsenic Safe Drinking Water. (This video is from YouTube, and is not covered under our Creative Commons license.)

View video page

Firefly Power: Human Powered Domestic Lighting in Rural India. (This video is from YouTube, and is not covered under our Creative Commons license.)

« Back: Course Notes

Today in D-Lab: Design, we enjoyed a down-to-earth and intimate conversation with two very special guest speakers and long-time friends of D-Lab: Paul Polak, founder of non-profit (iDE) and D-Rev, and author of Out of Poverty, the book we are using in class; and Shawn Frayne, D-Lab alumni and founder of Humdinger Wind Energy, a company that manufactures a revolutionary new device for energy generation, the WindBelt.

Paul has very strong opinions about foreign aid and development work, backed by more than 25 years working with thousands of farmers around the world. After reading his book, D-Lab students had a wide array of questions to know more about or challenge his controversial opinions. The dialogue today revolved around redefining current approaches to alleviate poverty, where the amount of money is not the issue, but the donation model. Paul is a great defender of the fact that one cannot donate people out of poverty; instead one should pursue a market-driven approach where people take the initiative to lift themselves out of poverty. There is a big potential for big businesses to have a positive impact in this world, but they should too redesign their approach to marketing for poor people: donwsizing or price-shifting is not the answer; products have to be specifically designed and marketed for these untapped markets. Paul is currently leading the efforts to create such a company to provide clean water for people who need it, starting in the state of Orissa in East India.

Paul Polak standing in front of the chalkboard, with seated students listening.

Paul Polak speaking in class.

Shawn Frayne writing in a notebook while some students look on.

Shawn Frayne assisting students with their design projects.

« Back: Course Notes

This week has been inventors’ week in D-Lab: Design. After Suprio’s lecture on Monday, we hosted Bernard Kiwia for Wednesday’s class. Bernard is an inventor from Tanzania, who currently leads technology innovation at Global Cycle Solutions in his home country. Bernard started as a bicycle mechanic with 3 years of experience when he participated in the first edition of the International Development Design Summit at MIT over the summer of 2007. After connecting there with other craftsmen, technicians and hackers of sorts, he came back home to start making things, as he likes to describe his current activities. As part of his lecture, Bernard presented the different inventions he has come up over the years, which include a cell phone charger for bicycles, a wheel truing stand, several daily objects made out of bicycle spare parts (a can opener made from a bike brake, a picture frame made from a front sprocket wheel, chairs made from bike wheel rims, etc), a bicycle-powered water pump, a solar water heater, and a pedal-powered drill press to name a few.

Photo of a man riding a bicycle mounted on a stand, with attached pump and hose assembly.

Bernard Kiwia’s bicycle-powered water pump. (Photo courtesy of Bernard Kiwia.)

Close-up from prior photo showing water being pumped from a bucket through a long hose.

Closeup of Bernard Kiwia’s bicycle-powered water pump. (Photo courtesy of Bernard Kiwia.)

Being presented with such a rich and varied array of inventions, D-Lab students wondered about the origin of all these designs: did they come from his head or did people come to him with challenges? Bernard replied straightforwardly:

“In order to invent, you need to know what people need. For me it’s easy because I live there, and I experience the same problems myself: I had to take a cold shower every morning until I decided that I would build a solar water heater to have access to warm water for showering. As soon as I build one, neighbors started asking for one. Thus, if you don’t live there you have to make a lot of research to understand people’s needs and desires. Better yet, travel to learn it by yourself first-hand.”

Bernard has strong opinions about what it takes to become an inventor: don’t make things for somebody else, think of yourself as the user, assume that you will be somewhere in Africa, and this device will help you while you are over there. The ultimate attribute of an inventor is self-confidence: Bernard wants to keep trying to do new things because he knows he can do it. Then, if you know you can do it, just try and start doing it. Answering students’ concern about the challenge of continuously coming up with novel ideas, Bernard comments that fresh ideas are a small part of the game. Instead, it’s all about modifying existing ideas from the past and re-adapt them to match current needs. As an inventor and designer, you must have an inner curiosity to know and discover how things work, and these are the sources of inspiration for your next designs.

“Invention is a very personal thing: one feels it, and does it”. — Bernard Kiwia.

Photo of Bernard Kiwia speaking to students in class.

Bernard Kiwia lecturing in the D-Lab: Design class. (Photo courtesy of Nathan Cooke.)

Additional Resources

Some of Bernard’s work in Tanzania:

Global Cycle Solutions
Accelerating Innovation & Social Entrepreneurship

View video page

Pedal-Powered Hacksaw. (This video is from YouTube, and is not covered under our Creative Commons license.)

GCS: Episode 2 - Bike-Powered Cellphone Charger - Bernard Kiwia from Young World Inventors on Vimeo.

Bike-Powered Cellphone Charger. (This video is from Vimeo, and is not covered under our Creative Commons license.)

“Bicycle Phone Charger.” Design with the Other 90%, Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.

Design Revolution. Dir. Sally Levi. Craze Digital, 2012. [A documentary starring Bernard]

« Back: Course Notes

This year, we wanted to try something a little different to start out the course, a mini-project to be a quick overview of the entire design process. The project is one that’s been kicking around in my head for the last few months: a low-cost rainwater harvesting system. The problem with conventional systems is that storage is expensive, and so if people can’t afford to build a cistern, or invest in a large plastic storage tank, they don’t have many options. So the idea is to design storage bags that are super cheap, so that people can buy want they can afford, and can add to their capacity whenever they can afford to do so. And what would be cool is if you have these bags, then you could pop on different attachments for different purposes. For example, you could put the bag out in the sun, for solar disinfection, then bring it into the kitchen to provide safe drinking water; you could put on another attachment, and bring a bag over to the latrine, and have a hand-washing station; put on another attachment, and it becomes a drip irrigation system… There’d need to be a method for filling a bunch of bags at the same time, so that you wouldn’t have to go out in the rain to replace bags, and a way to move the bags around easily. It would also be way cool if there was an easily deployable structure that would provide a catchment system, so you could harvest water anywhere, not just off your roof.

This project has applications in a lot of places, but it’s also one of the things that D-Lab might be able to do to help out in Haiti. Food, fuel and water are some of the immediate needs, and the rainy season is about to start. So I’m really excited to be working on it, and I think the students are too…

Photo of several students sitting around a table working on small paper cards.

Students brainstorming in class.

Photo of instructor Amy Smith with several students and a poster board.

Amy exploring new ideas with a team of students.

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