CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING IN EXTREME CONDITIONS
MEMBERS & VISITORS:
CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING IN EXTREME CONDITIONS
Imagine growing up in a place where you have to be super smart about using what little you have in the best way possible. Like in India, where a guy named Mansukh Prajapati, who works with clay, made a fridge that doesn’t need any electricity to keep fruits and veggies fresh for a long time. That’s pretty awesome, right? And if you’re in Africa and your phone dies, no worries! Some clever folks can charge it up for you using a bicycle.
Now, let’s take a trip to Lima, Peru. It’s a place that’s really humid but hardly gets any rain. Some smart students there made a huge billboard that sucks moisture from the air and turns it into clean drinking water, more than 90 liters every day! It’s like making water out of thin air.
For the last seven years, seen and read about so many people in places like India, China, Africa, and South America who keep surprising me with their inventions. A lot of them didn’t even go to school or have fancy labs to work in. They use the streets as their lab because they don’t have a lot of money or resources like we do. But they have something even more special – their creativity and smarts to solve problems in wondrous ways.
In India, there’s this word “Jugaad,” which means coming up with a smart fix when things are tough. These fixes might not be perfect, but they do a lot with a little, which is pretty amazing. It’s like being a magician who turns tough times into opportunities to make something valuable out of something not so valuable.
Now, let’s talk about how some people are using these smart ideas to help lots of people. In China, a company made a way for doctors in big cities to help sick people in villages using simple medical devices. And in Kenya, there’s this thing called M-Pesa that lets people use their phones to pay for things, which is super helpful because many people don’t have bank accounts. They even have a way to get solar power in a box that you can pay off slowly using your phone!
These smart ideas are showing up in other places too, like in the West, where people are learning to make great things without needing a lot of money or stuff. Like in Bangladesh, where they built a small factory that makes yogurt and creates jobs for people, or in China, where they made a medical scanner that’s easy to use and helps save energy and money.
There are also some really neat startups in places like Silicon Valley that are coming up with ways to help farmers use water better, get internet access in places without good service, and even offer banking services without needing a traditional bank.
The best part is that people from all over the world are starting to work together to come up with these smart, affordable solutions to help everyone. Like in Nairobi, where they’re using a system to help with traffic jams by predicting where they’ll happen and telling drivers the best way to go. And there’s a health lab in the U.S. looking for ways to make healthcare cheaper and better for everyone.
So, what can we learn from all these smart people around the world? First, keep things simple so everyone can use them. Second, use what’s already out there instead of trying to make something new from scratch. And third, spread out your ideas instead of keeping them all in one big place. This way, we can all help make the world a better place by being smart with what we have.
If you are interested in learning how to systematically solve problems, innovate, and invent then I want you to consider enrolling in Tharaka Invention Academy. Without a doubt, your life and career, and economic security and well-being will be forever transformed.
Questions?? Contact me any time at profsinger@inventionschool.tech
We have published other informative posts on Invention School’s website which may interest you. To view our entire catalog of over 900 posts go to inventionschool.tech/category/blog/ or use our handy search tool to find topics of interest to you.
Mechanical/Solar Engineer, Prof. Oku Singer
(15)
