Since the inception of the IDEAS Competition in 2001, the
Lemelson-MIT Program has been a sponsor of its International
Technology Awards. Below are summaries of the past winning teams of
these awards. For further information on the teams, please visit the IDEAS
Competition web site.
2007-08
Leveraged Freedom Chair
$7500 IDEAS International Technology Award
The Leveraged Freedom Chair team invented a mobility aid that can morph between a standard wheelchair and a long-distance, lever-powered traveler, designed for people with disabilities in developing countries. In the wheelchair mode, it is small enough to use indoors. In the lever mode, it efficiently harnesses upper body power to cope with rugged terrain and poor road conditions.
Team members: Mario Bollini, Shirley Fung, Gwyn Jones, Peter Mbuguah, Abdullah Munish, Daniel Namkessa, Quoc Nguyen, Tish Scolnik, Amos Winter
WiiHabilitation
$5000 IDEAS Award
The WiiHabilitation team created a system that adapts virtual reality gaming technologies to function as a rehabilitation aid for stroke patients in contexts where few healthcare professionals are available.
Team members: Alex Pak, Brandon Pung, Justin Tan, Vivian Tang, Austin Tzou
2006-07
VAC-Cast Prosthetics
$7500 IDEAS International Technology Award
The Vac-Cast Prosthetics team developed a low-cost, sand-casting (SC) prosthetic-fitting technique that is easy-to-use, and designed with materials commonly found in a mechanic shop, including its core feature—a pre-manufactured hand pump with a hand-crank acuator for a continuous operation. This technique can be combined with other sand-casting treatment devices to enable more amputees to have prosthetics tailored to their limbs, rather than be limited by finite resources or vacuum and power requirements. Team Members: Aron Zingman, Goutam Reddy, Irina Azu, Maria Luckyanova, Stephen Samouhos, Tess Veuthey
New DOTS
$5000 IDEAS International Technology Award
New Dots created a tuberculosis monitoring plan. It uses urinalysis test strips to ensure daily that patients have taken their drugs, followed by widespread cell-phone technology, so health-care workers can report those levels, as indicated by a number-code on the test strip. Additionally, microfinance incentives, including more benefits, are provided in the plan. Team Members: Angela Kilby, Aron Walker, Elizabeth Gillenwater, Jeff Blander, Jose Gomez-Marquez, Minyoung Jang
2005-06
Aerovax
$7500 IDEAS International Technology Award
Aerovax is a low-cost "last-mile" aerosol vaccine device that can
operate without electricity or needles, and requires minimal training
to use. The target of this project is to reduce measles-related
diseases on a global scale, which is contracted by 30 million
worldwide and causes 500,000 deaths annually, as estimated by the
World Health Organization. The aerosolized vaccine is forced through
a face-mask and then into the patient's lungs. Various vaccine
propulsion mechanisms, including a Pneumatic Power Unit, medical foot
pump, and pedal-powered air pump, provide administration methods that
can be adapted appropriately for the user. This non-invasive device
will make mass vaccination programs safe and more effective through
eliminating waste from needle disposal and inoculating multiple
patients.
Team members: Anton Aboukhalil, Jose Gomez-Marquez, Zahra Kanji,
Esmeralda Megally, Neely Varshney
TurnPure
$5000 IDEAS International Technology Award
TurnPure, the next generation of water bottles, is a device that
rapidly and effectively purifies water contaminated with bacteria,
protozoa, and other viruses without using chemicals or battery power.
Water that is poured into TurnPure bottlesis cleansed through by an
encased fluorescent ultraviolet bulb, which is operated by a hand
crank. Photodiodes line the diameter of the bottle to measure the UV
dosage and ensure irradiation is complete, which is displayed through
an indicator light. Following a sustainable business model, TurnPure
plans to offset its costs by selling to large outdoor recreation,
travel, and military markets for a profit. The goal is provide clean
water to those in developing countries, but also decrease the
world's dependence on bottled spring water.
Team members: Chandan Das, Justin Holland, Gary Long, Patrick
Schroeder
2004-05
Bicilavdora
$5000 IDEAS International Technology Award
The Bicilavadora is a pedal-powered washing machine, built with readily
available parts, that does not require electricity to operate. This
machine could enable women in poor communities to get back the eight
hours a week they typically spend hand-washing clothes. The team has
joined with MayaPedal, a Guatemalan non-profit organization, to manufacture,
sell, and repair (if needed) the machines it its community. The goal
of this project is to share this technology with other appropriate
developing nations. Team members: Radu Raduta, Jessica Vechakul, Teresa Baker, Stephanie
Dalquist, Alexander Yip, Kimberley Harrison
VacPac
$3000 IDEAS International Technology Award
The Vac-Pac is a refrigerated backpack for preserving vaccines and
transporting them to clinics in remote locations. Many expensive vaccines
go to waste in developing countries, because they cannot be kept at
the correct temperature while being transported. Vac-Pac is an affordable
solution to this problem. It can store up to 1200 doses of vaccine,
and the refrigeration will last up to 12 hours on one battery charge.
http://web.mit.edu/wonga1/www/VacPac/ Team members: Geoff Becker, Ethan Crumlin, Emily Smith, Amy Wong
Parabolic Power II
$2000 IDEAS International Technology Award
Parabolic Power II is a solar energy concentrator that heats a
working fluid for energy transfer that the user can designate to
specified applications. Built and implemented in Lesotho, southern
Africa, this remote power generation device is intended to provide
technical solutions for developing countries where grid electricity
and other energy sources are not accessible. In 2006, the World Bank Development Marketplace awarded the team (now
known as the Solar Turbine Group) a $130,000 grant to install thermal
plants in Lesotho with community partners.
Team members: Matt Orosz, Headley Jacobus, Toni Ferreira, Amy
Mueller
2003-04
Chlorination in Honduras
$5000 IDEAS International Technology Awards
The Chlorination in Honduras team designed a clever, low-cost system
for regulating chlorine treatment of drinking water in Honduran
communities that are plagued by water-borne illnesses. The treatment
systems formerly in place could not adjust accurately to water supply
flow rates that vary greatly during dry and rainy seasons. This
project system produces a constant chlorine dosage without any moving
parts or increased maintenance and is made from readily available
materials. Team members: Will DelHagen, Marta Fernandez Suarez, Jamie Fleischfresser,
Guy Hoffmann, Jeff Schultz, Ran Tao, Laure-Anne Ventouras
Test Water Cheap
$5000 IDEAS International Technology Awards
The Test Water Cheap team created the Zip Aqua II—a device that
allows water to be vacuum-pulled through filter paper for “membrane
filtration,” the accepted method for quantitative water testing.
It is a unique, inexpensive baby bottle design that costs only $13.
The easy-to-use and reliable device will be practical not only for
small rural communities where contaminated drinking water often causes
serious health problems, but also for large disaster relief organizations,
such as the Red Cross. Team members: Juhi Chandalia, Brittany Coulbert, Philip Hou, Jin
Kim
2002-03
Kinkajou
$5000 IDEAS International Technology Prize
The Kinkajou projector is a low-cost microfilm projector and learning
tool for classrooms with limited resources such as lack of AC electricity,
high textbook costs, and poor access to educational materials. This
inexpensive library system, developed in MIT Prof. Woodie Flowers’
senior-year Product Design class, is able to project microfilm images
to an image large enough to be viewed by a classroom. Team members: David LoBosco, Saul Griffith, Timothy Prestero
Humanitarian Demining Tool Kit
$3000 IDEAS International Technology Prize
The UN estimates there are up to 120 million landmines in over 70
countries worldwide, mostly clustered in the developing world, and
they may remain active for over 50 years. Landmines are often disarmed
by high tech, expensive demining techniques by the military, which
aren’t available to most developing countries. Using materials
that are indigenous to the user’s area, the humanitarian demining
tool kit can be easily and cheaply manufactured in any location and
is relatively safe to operate. Team led by Andrew Heafitz
MIT UV Tube Project
$2000 IDEAS International Technology Prize
The MIT-UV Tube Project proposed a low-cost ultra-violet water purification
system from ferro cement. Similar UV purification systems were fabricated
from PVC pipes and stainless steel that could degrade over time and
contaminate the water system. This cement design provides a safe and
inexpensive way to treat water in developing countries and eliminate
the problems caused from unsafe drinking water. Team members: Xanat Flores, Susan Murcott, Melanie Pincus
2001-02
Innovative Drinking Water Technology for Bangladesh
$ 5000 IDEAS International Technology Innovation Awards
This innovative drinking water treatment design treats arsenic and
pathogens, which are two of the most significant drinking water contaminants
in the developing countries. This technology is particularly suited
for Bangladesh, Eastern India and Nepal where the drinking water contains
both contaminants simultaneously. Additionally, it is technically,
socially, and economically appropriate. Team members: Tommy Ngai, Debu Sem, Heather Lukacs
Passive Incubator for Premature Infants
$ 5000 IDEAS International Technology Innovation Awards
The passive incubator for premature infants in developing countries
aims to prevent infant death often caused by heat loss and dehydration.
Due to the lack of electricity in most rural regions and the frequent
loss of power in urban regions of developing nations, high-tech western
incubators can be ineffective. The passive incubator operates without
electricity, and it is robust, cheap and sustainable. The project
targeted a clinic in Sri Lanka, though it is hoped it will be available
for use more widely in the future. Team members: Aileen Wu, Yael Maguire, Prasanga D Hiniduma Lokuge
