IDEO design studios extended their line of successful foot-operated irrigation pumps for East Africans to include the Deep Lift Pump, which can reach down as far as 18 meters (59 feet) to alleviate rural water shortages in Kenya. Working with Kenyan-based nonprofit Kickstart, IDEO developed a pump that can irrigate half an acre and even pump water 7 m (23’) above the pump. It is made by using manufacturing processes, ones requiring little or no maintenance, familiar to trade shops throughout Kenya. The Deep Lift Pump is operated like a stair-climbing machine that accommodates barefoot users. In addition, the device is easily transported on bicycles and buses and costs less than $150. Utilizing human step power and local materials, the pump
“The point we are hoping to make here is that design does have the power to transform our world for the better, so long as it’s harnessed to the right projects,” IDEO said about their design. “As much energy is expended in designing a bad product, as a good one. Desecrate or Invigorate. It’s a choice that we can only hope an increasing number of designers will begin to take more responsibility for.”
-- Jaimie Hwang
Read more about the deep lift pump here.
Source: IDEO
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