Udhay Shankar N wrote: [ on 09:55 PM 6/17/2006 ]
Also see lifestraw.com
Udhay
http://www.engadget.com/2005/08/18/lifestraw-purifies-water-instantly-for-under-2-a-year/
LifeStraw purifies water instantly for under $2 a year
More on this theme, with another interesting concept here: a
solar-powered water bottle that purifies up to a gallon of water at a time.
http://www.indexaward.dk/2007/default.asp?id=706&show=nomination&nominationid=56
hort description of the design:
Bottle disinfects dirty water to prevent diseases
How did this design improve life and for whom?:
Bottle can improve the life of an enormous quantity of people, by
providing them with safe water to drink wherever there is no access
to improved water supply. No access to good quality drinking water
leads to a high risk of water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea,
cholera, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, dysentery and other diseases.
One sixth of the world's population has no access to safe water
today. Bottle utilizes a water treatment method named SODIS (Solar
Disinfection System) a simple, environmentally sustainable, low-cost
solution for drinking water treatment at household level for people
consuming microbiologically contaminated raw water. Contaminated
water is filled into transparent plastic bottles and exposed to full
sunlight for six hours. During the exposure to the sun the pathogens
are destroyed. The SODIS system has been used in South America,
Africa and the Far East with good results, with the new Bottle design
the results and the diffusion of the system can increase.
Possible drawbacks of life improvement:
none
What is the decisive role of the designer/design team in the creation
of the nominated design?:
Designers have given an appropriate shape to a system for purifying
water known as SODIS, Solar Water Disinfection. SODIS uses solar
energy to destroy pathogenic micro organisms causing water borne
diseases and therewith it improves the quality of drinking water.
Pathogenic micro organisms are vulnerable to two effects of the
sunlight: radiation in the spectrum of UV-A light (wavelength
320-400nm) and heat (increased water temperature). From these known
facts the designers developed a new water container that resolves at
best the functionality needs: holds up to 4 litres of water, the dark
half of the container augments the temperature inside the bottle, the
handle regulates the angle for best solar exposition and allows easy
transportation, the slim shape facilitates storage and transportation.
How did the design aspect help provide coherent whole concerning
form, function,
resources, user kindness, aesthetics etc.:
Compared with the conventional water bottles actually used for the
SODIS process, the new 4 litres container has a high ratio
surface-thickness and a dark face that absorbs the infrared sunrays
augmenting the temperature and improving disinfection. The reduced
thickness facilitates also the transportation and the storage. A
special handle integrates the angular regulation needed to improve
sun exposure depending in which latitude of the world the process is
executed. In the back of the container a series of embedded iconic
graphics explain, using simple and immediate drawings, the proper use
of the system.
The process used to create the design:
The designers, invited to participate of an exhibition under the
general theme "H2O" at Milan's International Furniture Fair, learned
about the SODIS system and it's potential to improve the lives of
many. Moved by their will to help others with their own creativity
and skills, they designed a container that brings the best out of the
SODIS system. The design duo developed the container up to an
advanced stage, doing 3D computer models and pushing to find a
company interested in manufacturing the container. Bottle was
presented in the H2O exhibition in Milan last April and has been
published by some magazines. Hopefully it will find a producer soon.
Functionallity and use of design:
Bottle is a lowcost container capable of disinfecting water for
people consuming microbiologically contaminated raw water. The PET
bottle, manufactured with a bi-colour blown injection moulding
process, has a dual face: a transparent face for maximum UV-A rays
collection and a black face that absorbs the infrared sunrays
augmenting the temperature and improving disinfection. The reduced
thickness assists the transportation and the storage. The handle
regulates the angulation for best sun caption
Name of Designer(s):
Alberto Meda & Francisco Gomez Paz.
Designer's professional status:
Professional
Status of realization:
Prototype
Kind of design:
Tangible
Produced by:
none
Designed in country:
Italy
Used on continents:
Europe
Link:
<http://www.sodis.ch>http://www.sodis.ch
--
((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
