Amazing solar-powered fridge invented by British student in a potting shed helps poverty-stricken Af, page 1

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Topic started on 8-1-2009 @ 11:48 AM by masonwatcher

Amazing solar-powered fridge invented by British student in a potting shed helps poverty-stricken Africans

www.dailymail.co.uk

t's the kind of simple yet brilliant invention that would have the tycoons of Dragons' Den salivating with excitement.

Not only is the fridge solar powered, it can also be built from household materials - making it ideal for the Third World.

Emily Cummins, 21, came up with the idea while working on a school project in her grandfather's potting shed. The fridge is now improving the lives of thousands of poverty-stricken Africans.

And Miss Cummins hopes to patent a more sophisticated portable model for use in transporting medical supplies around hot countries.

From the age of four, when she was given a hammer as a gift, Miss Cummins has spent much of her spare time making things out of ordinary materials.

She has won awards for a toothpaste squeezer for arthritis sufferers and for a water-carrying device, again for Third World use.

(visit the link for the full news article)

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 11:48 AM by masonwatcher

Wow. If more clever people turned their mind to by-passing corporate manufactures, maybe consumers can overcome wasteful energy consumption.

While this particular invention is basic, further ingenious improvements can reduce the minimum temperature of the fridge to below freezing. We will no longer require wasteful quantities of fossil fuel based energy to power our homes. This of course, will require additional inventiveness.

Can any of the brainy members of ATS look into inventing a steam powered PC or some other kind of energy producing sources for our computers?

Many thanks.

www.dailymail.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 113131p://am3117 by masonwatcher]

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 11:54 AM by Mdv2

Clever ideas and people enough. However, sometimes these clever ideas don't fit in the business objective of corporations and the idea or inventor will be killed.

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 12:00 PM by masonwatcher

Originally posted by Mdv2
Clever ideas and people enough. However, sometimes these clever ideas don't fit in the business objective of corporations and the idea or inventor will be killed.

True, but his clever student gave the license for this invention for free to charities to transport pharmaceuticals in Africa. It was out there in the market very quickly. Maybe if people weren't so greedy to make a killing, they wouldn't get killed.

Once the beans have been spilled, it's too late and going after the messenger is just twisted vindictive.

[edit on 123131p://pm3150 by masonwatcher]

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 12:16 PM by sadchild01

not only is she intelligient and innovative , shes sexy too

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 12:33 PM by masonwatcher

Originally posted by sadchild01
not only is she intelligient and innovative , shes sexy too

Yes, me like brains

yumyum

The second line is vacant.

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 12:47 PM by Skyfloating

Totally brilliant.

Africa is plagued by too much sun. It dries their water resources. It makes it difficult to work and be happy. They'd have to make some use of that excess of sun. Solar Energy could do the trick.

This invention makes it even easier.

[edit on 8-1-2009 by Skyfloating]

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 12:50 PM by xman_in_blackx

Thanks for posting this. Incredible piece of thinking. This is a direction we all need to be gravitating towards. Sustainable, simple technology.

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 03:02 PM by Nirgal

reply to post by Skyfloating

Does it not require water as an essential part of the refrigeration process?

If African water is at a premium then this device might become a luxury.

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 03:06 PM by Skyfloating

Originally posted by Nirgal

Does it not require water as an essential part of the refrigeration process?

If African water is at a premium then this device might become a luxury.

Yeah, good point. It still needs some refinement, I guess.

But the general direction of using what has plagued them, would be a good step in the right direction..

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 03:58 PM by shortywarn

great idea,,,,,reminds me of that blue bike with the water tank on the back,,,,and as they pedaL back to the village it filters the water and makes it safe

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 05:23 PM by antibyte

This Design was already invented in 1995 by a Nigerian Teacher, who
made a big Business of this and earned the Rolex Enterprise Award.

en.wikipedia.org...

Sorry, she "only" reinvented it

practicalaction.org...

[edit on 8-1-2009 by antibyte]

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 05:30 PM by Lee_K

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 05:32 PM by tezzajw

Originally posted by antibyte
Sorry, she "only" reinvented it

I'd help her reinvent the wheel, if she requested my assistance.

Even though it does use water, the water doesn't haven't to be clean or filtered. The water only has to be wet. As long as they have waterholes around or puddles, the fridge can still work. Cool.

Nice reinvention from a very nice reinventor.

[edit on 8-1-2009 by tezzajw]

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 05:33 PM by fatdad

looks like she invented sweating.

mistakes

[edit on 8-1-2009 by fatdad]

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 06:36 PM by SeenAndNeverHeard

Some of us have been saying this for a long time now. However donating it wasn't an intelligent choice, generous, yes extremely. But if she had bargained; she would have not only gotten more use out of the product, but she'd be able to make sure that everybody on the entire planet, who are 3rd would would actually get one. And maybe a few other things to. But that sort of thinking is what will get a person shot.

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 06:53 PM by truthquest

reply to post by masonwatcher

While this is a great invention, I'm entirely sure this has already been invented, except more cheaply than that because they used pottery instead of metal. Evaporative cooling.

www.google.com...

I should add though that the mesh design idea is a great improvement over the existing pot-in-pot design. I should also add that the device does not really need any solar power and would work just fine in a dark but dry environment. Also, I wonder how a pot with an ordinary sponge wrapping would perform.

[edit on 8-1-2009 by truthquest]

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 07:38 PM by masonwatcher

reply to post by truthquest

Well spotted.

So why all the fuss in the papers? Anyone inventing such a thing would have a pretty strong patent. But I think a patent only lasts 20 years unless you add a substantial innovation to the devise and re-patent the original on the back of it.

Maybe that is what she did.

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 07:56 PM by ANNED

its a old idea invented over 1000 years ago.

we use that idea in the Calif desert to keep water cold in the summer when camping.

gocalifornia.about.com...
www.lifestylestore.com...

we call them desert water bags.

the Bedouin's had Goatskin Bags to do the same thing (called a girbah)

[edit on 8-1-2009 by ANNED]

reply posted on 8-1-2009 @ 09:19 PM by Anonymous ATS

The locals in Nigeria used pots to keep the water cool (in the 1970's)

I'd like to see you freeze something in that!

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