EC.720J | Spring 2010 | Undergraduate

D-Lab II: Design

Course Description

D-Lab: Design addresses problems faced by undeserved communities with a focus on design, experimentation, and prototyping processes. Particular attention is placed on constraints faced when designing for developing countries. Multidisciplinary teams work on semester-long projects in collaboration with community …
D-Lab: Design addresses problems faced by undeserved communities with a focus on design, experimentation, and prototyping processes. Particular attention is placed on constraints faced when designing for developing countries. Multidisciplinary teams work on semester-long projects in collaboration with community partners, field practitioners, and experts in relevant fields. Topics covered include design for affordability, design for manufacture, sustainability, and strategies for working effectively with community partners and customers. Students may continue projects begun in EC.701J D-Lab I: Development.
Learning Resource Types
Lecture Notes
Projects with Examples
Design Assignments
Written Assignments
Activity Assignments with Examples
Photo of a metal spiral with flame traveling around it.
The spiral pine needle stove is one of the projects developed in this class. Pine needles can be a plentiful and energy-dense fuel, but their burn is difficult to control, and produces health-threatening gases.  The elongated spiral burn path helps this stove use the energy in the gases to get a clean, efficient burn. (Courtesy of the students on the Spiral Pine Needle Stove team. Used with permission.)