Jul 25 2007
Amy Smith on TedTalks- Design that saves lives
I was reading over at endless innovation this post which points to a presentation by Amy Smith at TED.
I found the presentation to be quite refreshing and eye-opening. She specializes in designing solutions for the other 90% of the world. Engineering solutions to common, but life-threatening problems in developing countries. Highlighted in the talk are designs for cleaner burning cooking fuels made from local resources that achieve equivalent performance to wood based charcoal.
For those of us that develop products or design something for a living, it was a kick in the teeth. Many of us work very hard to solve difficult problems (sometimes very niche I must admit) with some of the very latest technology at our disposal. This is a reminder of:
#1 Try to solve those problems that are important.
#2 Get your head up out of “the way” things are done and look at what works.
#3 Look at how to match your resources, methods, and economics with the environment and situation at hand.
TEDTalk - Ideas worth spreading.
