| Mar 22, 2006 - Innovation everywhere
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 | | show all 12 | | Floating bicycle - invented by an elderly man who was tired of waiting for the boat. | | Downward pressure on the seat resulting from riding over bumps helps to propel this bike. | | This reclining rocking chair is like a big version of a baby swing. It's pretty comfy. | | |
| My team of 4 graduate students from The University of Michigan is here to work on developing ways for organizations outside of India to partner with organizations here for the benefit of both. Environmental impact, sustainability, and benefit to the population at the "base of the pyramid" (the 4 billion people worldwide who live on less than $2 USD/day) are important criteria we are evaluating.
To gain an understanding of some of the innovation happening here, we had a meeting Tuesday morning at the National Innovation Foundation. This government entity scouts rural India for innovative solutions to problems people face in their daily lives. They only work with innovators who do not have substantial formal education. When appropriate, the organization will help to incubate products to create businesses to produce and sell them. These businesses help the inventor achieve financial gain and improves the quality of life of the people of India. Some of the innovations have broad use outside of India. We are here to work on expanding to these new areas.
After lunch, we met with SRISTI. This organization was founded to document herbal remedies used to treat people and animals. Over the course of the past 20 years, they have documented more than 50,000 uses of naturally occurring resources in treatments. Their laboratory scientifically analyzes the plants used in these remedies to isolate the effective ingredients. So far, 15 commercial products have been developed from this work. One increases milk production in cows, another controls termites with non-toxic materials.
Both of these organizations believe strongly in giving the inventor credit/compensation for their work. Even if a rural researcher is completely illiterate, these organizations communicate a legal relationship between the two parties and follows through with payment when appropriate. Both organizations also work to spread knowledge between villages. For example, if one community has developed a remedy for diarrhea in farm animals, SRISTI will confirm effectiveness, then share this information with other villages facing the same problems.
Check out the accompanying pictures for more detail and some pretty cool examples. |
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