Design that Matters, a Massachusetts non-profit corporation, is dedicated to improving the quality of life in underserved communities. We do this by fostering the development of products and services that meet immediate community needs in areas such as clean water, health care, renewable energy and education. We also do this by developing curriculum materials that engage university engineering, science, policy and business in the design process, thereby strengthening their commitment to serve these communities throughout their careers. Since its launch at MIT in 2000, DtM has worked with over 300 engineering and business students to develop dozens of prototypes that promise to improve thousands of lives.

To learn more about our work in communities and universities around the world, see the DtM homepage.

Kinkajou Microfilm Projector

The Kinkajou Projector is a novel educational tool for developing countries that combines the efficiency of LEDs with the durability of microfilm. The Kinkajou alpha prototype, shown in the photo below, was developed in Fall 2002 at MIT as part of Woodie Flower's and Dave Wallace's senior capstone mechanical engineering design course, "2.009 Product Engineering Processes." The Kinkajou team continued working on the project through the Spring semester, developing the beta prototype model we're packing with us. To learn more, see the Kinkajou website.

DtM-Kinkajou Visit to the Mali Folkecenter

The Mali Folkecenter was our first stop after arriving in Mali. Ibrahim Togola, the director, Tom Burrell, the head of the solar and wind projects division, and their colleagues gave us a tour of their facility and an overview of their projects in Mali. Ibrahim and Tom had some great feedback on the Kinkajou design, and we discussed the possibility of using Light Up the World's LED lamps as a replacement for the expensive German-manufactured LED units they've been using. After videotaping a summary of the design review, we loaded into the Toyota for the four-hour drive out to the MFC field sites in the Koumantou region.

Kinkajou gets tested

We tested the Kinkajou at a village in Kaumandou yesterday. It tested pretty well considering how much ambient light we had. We were at the local school house where both adults and children get educated to read. Two men, both former students, were our test subjects. They liked the simplicity of the design and were positive that it could be put to good use, however they were worried about getting replacement parts should something break.

We asked them to remove and replace the microfilm spool and focus the image. They did it with ease. They prefer the white light to the green light. The next thing we need to do is test whether the 1 Watt light is sufficient or not.

We also showed Ibrahim the Kinkajou at the Mali Folkcenter. He liked it and said that he could see many potential uses for it. We also showed him the Light Up the World Lamps, which are cheaper and briughter than the LED lights they are currently using.

It is amazing how dark it is at night in a city so large. Yet peole go about their daily business as though they haven't a care in the world.

Siby Hiking and Field Test

A beautiful village surrounded by a wall of red stoned mesas, Siby greets visitors at its tourist information center where a tax of 1000CFA per person is requested. Siby is my favorite place in Mali so far. Before we even saw the village, we were mystified by the surroudning greenery and a distant waterfall in the cliffs. There we hired a guide to take us to the great arch. He not only took us to it; he had us climb all the way to the top where we could see for miles around. Small kids followed us, barefooted and with torn clothes. With our hiking gear we appeared over-prepared.

In the village we tested the Kinkajou.

We gave a demonstration to Sekoubu Craovè, teacher of French, History and geography; Sekou Sidibè, director of second cycle de Siby; and Lssa Souleymone CAMARA Directeur Siby i cycle B

The school in Siby serves a village of 20,000 people, and 769 students from the 1-6th grades. There are 156 students in grade 5 alone. It costs 6000 CFA per book currently. Each student has a French book, a mathematics book and a work book. Many of the books are falling out of their bindings and the covers are worn.

The response to the Kinkajou was very positive. The younger teacher saw many potential uses for it. He wanted to use it to post problems at night where the students could write it down and study it and go over the solution the next day. The classroom could be made dark enough to see the Kinkajou during the day.

They like the ease of operation and think that they could put all the 5th year books on it to cut costs. They would like the flexibility to change the material to suit their needs.

One teacher commented on the size of the images, particularly in reference to adult education. He likes how large the image is because many adults are going blind and it is difficult for them to read out of books.

The ministry of education gave them a teaching tool before. It is a wooden box with a roll of paper with images. It has a handle to turn the images. We are very intersted in seeing this device.

Meeting with Point Sud

BACKGROUND: Started in 1990. Two programs: 1) Training Program that promotes higher education for Malian students (Master's/PhD) and study abroad; and 2) Organizes biennial international conferences (mostly with Europe), facilitates collaboration with foreign universities. Research areas focus on local challenges, and include agronomy, maternal & infant nutrition research, anthropology (focusing specifically on migration patterns), and decentralization. Bridges technical and social areas of expertise.

TIME: 10:00 AM, Jul 24
CONTACT: Dr. Moussa Sissoko (Codirector)

NOTES:
Future Partnership

• Would like to put course records onto Kinkajou for reference


• Saw Point Sud as facilitator to deploy Kinkajou to local market


• Research project on how well Kinkajou works in a classroom


• Seemed excited at the opportunity to collaborate

Potential Uses

• 3 possible uses: Personal reader, projector for schools, portable library (legal text for rural judges; pharmaceutical)

OUR COMMENTS:

• Environmental hazards of Microfilm


• Need to get a patent

Meeting with Teachers and Trainers

This afternoon, we went back to AJA to meet with representatives from several Malian NGOs working in the area of adult literacy and vocational training. Violet Diallo from Ashoka helped to organize the meeting, and AJA director Souleymane Sarr handled the introductions and moderated the discussion. Representatives included Souadou Diabate Kone, President of AMPJF (Association Malienne pour la Promotion de la Jeune Fille et de la Femme) and N'Gouro Sanogo, Adjoint Director of GRAT (Groupe de Recherches et d'Apllications Techniques).

We got a fantastic response from the group with regards to the Kinkajou projector. We're now working out the details of an extended pilot study to be conducted here in Mali this Fall and Spring. The NGO representatives will provide us with a set of course materials and presentation slides from each program area (adult literacy and numeracy, maternal health, vocational training) to convert into microfilm. The idea is that we'll send back a beta prototype for the various agencies to pass around and test in their different education programs for six months. This will be a mix of night-time adult education courses and daytime vocational training, and should provide us with excellent design and market feedback.

AJA (Association Jeunne Accion)

BACKGROUND: Second meeting at AJA. Met with directors of AJA as well as other local educators and NGOs. Presented Kinkajou and DTM to 16 people (12 men, 4 women, Violet, and team Kinkajou)

TIME: 2:30 PM, Jul 24

CONTACTS:

• Souadou Diabate Kone (President of Association Malienne Pour la Promocion de la Jeune Fille et de la Femme)


• David Mathers (UNAIS-British NGO)


• Dembelé neé Jarqueline Goita (Local educator-met again at Violet's house for dinner)


• Plus another 13 contacts…..

NOTES:
Cost Analysis

• $50 is a good cost for the projector


• Dictionaries cost $30

Microfilm

• David Mathers suggested using 8mm camera film (Super 8 film)


• Maybe use slide film ("japon" in French) or some other alternative to microfilm.


• How long does film last?

Implementation

• Maintenance?


• Possibly setting up a local HQ for service and renting of Kinkajou projector and content


• How to become independent (i.e.-manufacturing of content, projector, etc)

Potential Uses

• More appropriate for adult education because adults are much more motivated to learn


• Is it good for kids? Pro: They can't tear up the books, it will be the only thing to see in the dark room. Con: In a dark room, I'd probably fall asleep


• Kinkajou not ideal for introductory literacy courses because students need to see the teachers writing the letters-better used for more advanced courses.

Design

• Abuse of equipment (robustness)


• Film cassette changing

Future Partnership

• AJA currently has only 1 book for 15 students in their technical teaching class, so this could be a great opportunity for Kinkajou (especially because the content doesn't change). More cost effective than buying books for each student

Other

• Met the teachers who wrote the World Education content


• Next time, add more variety of content on cassette (or more standard content) so it can be tested in more NGOs


• Passive learning is bad

OUR COMMENTS:

• Production of Microfilm content.


• 3 classes of people which we have met: a) local educators who like the Kinkajou, but want to be able to produce the content locally; b) local educators who like the Kinkajou but would be ok having the content produced internationally; and c) local educators who have trouble seeing the Kinkajou in a classroom setting because it is a passive learning system.

Mali FolkeCenter

BACKGROUND: A followup meeting with the MFC. When we first arrived, we showed them the Kinkajou and they seemed very excited with it. They conduct some training courses for which the kinkajou might be useful. Earlier, they showed us around some of the villages where they have installed solar panels/lights and a multifunctional platform. We also tried out the Kinkajou at a school which they helped build in Tobacoro.

CONTACT: Dr. Ibrahim Togola (Regional Director)

TIME: 2:30 PM, Jul 25

NOTES:
Cost Analysis

• Costs 700 CFA to recharge car battery in villages (sometimes people have to travel to neighboring villages with recharging stations, such as multifunctional platforms), 500 CFA in cities. Battery charge last 1-2 weeks depending on battery condition and application.


• Car battery generator costs 150,000 (from salvaged parts) from the 'piece detachées'. The generator in the multifunctional platform at Bougoulaba lasted for 12 years.


• The Kinkajou could be used to replace their current training material (TV=125,000 CFA; VCR=85,000; Diesel Generator/Solar Panel= 300,000). The whole setup costs about $1200.

Further Partnership

• Willing to work with us in the future, email is best option.


• They also need a cheap charging circuit for their devices.


• There are trained electrical engineers in MFC which currently recycle electronic components.


• The MFC would be interested in using the Kinkajou in there PV training, etc.

Implementation

• Plastic Manufacturers in Bamako: Fofy, SinPlast (best option), Sadadiallo (not useful, they make oil)


• Circuit boards are usually salvaged from scrap radios and other electronic devices which can be bought in the Grand Marche at 'dabanani' on the Avenue De La Nation. (they have 'piece detachées radio components)


• The people in the village who usually do electronic maintenance are the radio repairmen


• An electronic schematic may be sufficient to design duplicates


• Typically in the markets, you have to bring the actual part to get a duplicate (a code/number may not be sufficient)


• Possibly renting out Kinkajou (just as they rent out LCD projectors)

Potential Uses

• TV and VCR could be used for personal use, whereas Kinkajou is less likely to be abused


• Difficult to transport TV and VCR

Microfilm

• Concerned with local microfilm production


• If a group of local NGOs team up, and send there content together, then the total cost of microfilm production could drop

OUR COMMENTS:

• Follow up with Tom regarding #solar panels


• Comparative analysis between MFC training vs. Kinkajou


• They use a small TV (<15in), how many students can learn from the Kinkajou vs. the TV setup


• What is the TV resolution? A video might not give enough resolution for literacy training


• What other things must be considered to make a fair comparison?


• Are they even worth comparing? Or are they like apples and oranges?


• They also need a cheap charge controller, perhaps we can collaborate in the design.

People Are Watching

The Hesperian Foundation in Berkeley, CA has recently contacted Kinkajou with the hopes of transferring some of their content to the projector. The foundation publishes global health books & distributes them to those non profit & health organizations who work in remote areas on medical issues.

Kinkajou is very excited at the opportunity to partner with the Hesperian foundation in the near future.

A world health organization has put some of these books on a CD rom but because of lack of computers there's a problem in rural areas which is most of Africa.

Some of the titles published by the foundation include: Where there is no Doctor, HIV, and Helping Health workers Learn Where women have no doctor.

The health manuals teach community health workers critical life-saving skills & inspire the creation of innovative & responsive local programs. The books are easy to read & have lots of illustrations.

Human Use of the Kinkajou Prototype

After the Field Test in Mali there are several aspects of the Kinkajou product design that I would like to change for manufacturing, some of which I recommended in my thesis but couldn't afford to implement in the prototype, and others that I was lucky enough to discover on this amazing visit to Mali. The first apparent change to the prototype is to make the spools more easily accessible from the top of the housing. This is something that I specifically noted in my thesis as necessary in the actual product, but in the production of the prototype a snap release or swivel lock was something that was too expensive and time consuming given our very tight production time. Our experience in Mali has only reconfirmed the need for a quick release type fastener, as many of the teachers noted that they woud like to change the cassettes more often than the Kinkajou team had speculated.

A second change to the prototype would be a change in the focusing ring and advancing dial to more closely match what was specified for in my thesis. I think color scheme in the 3d model was more visually appealing and appeared more cohesive than the maroon with black, which was used because it was more readily available in our lab. This is further justified by the fact that in photos of the Kinkajou the dials and focusing are harder to see because they are black and would be easier to distinguish to the user if they were lighter than the rest of the housing. After observing the user, most people sort of had to squint to distinguish the maroon from the back in dim lighting as I had expected they might.

One user need that I did not forsee was that the focusing ring would need a stop to keep the lens coming completely off. It seems silly now, but until it happened once i didnt really think it would be so hard to screw back on. Because of such small threads on the projection lens this would actually be really good idea to make sure the lens doesnt fall out and get scratched or broken.

Finally, I think the finger hole for the fast andvancement of the microfilm could be smoothed out, to something closer to the original design which called for an inverted dome rather that a through hole where the user puts their finger. Both the test users and the engineers tended to take a pencil and put it in the hole instead of using their finger. So possibly an even better solution would be a small protruded handle that could fold down when not in use.

Overall I was very pleased with the performace of the Kinkajou prototype in terms of people's reactions. When we asked "do you think it is hard to use or confusing" the response was usually like "of course not" or "theres nothing to it" because there were so few features that the teacher had to worry about. To take a product to a rural village in Africa, where any technology is a luxury, and have a teacher say the equivalent of "piece of cake" about using the Kinkajou was truly exciting to hear.

Notes from APAF review

BACKGROUND: Follow-up meeting with Madam Dembele nee Jacqueline Goita and her students. There are approximately 800 women in the program in 6 classes between the ages of 15-22. They do offer exceptions to women older than 22. These are women who have not received traditional education before. The night time class (1.5 hrs long, weekly??) teaches women how to read and write, IEC (Informacion ecoute communication), cooking, clothesmaking, trade, health and maternal issues, as well as social behavior. Orientations are held during the day and the actual class is held at night. Currently all teaching is conducted in Bambara, but they are looking to expand the program, which runs from October - June to a second level which would include lessons in French. Current classroom tools include books and the chalkboard. Some classes in Bamako are lit, but those in the villages are not. After completion of the program evaluations are presented and gifts are given to the best students. The worst students are given T-shirts to encourage them to try harder. If there are students who fail the course, they may take it again. The program is funded by NGOs so that the students pay nothing. They don't always have enough books for the students to read.

LOCATION: Mairie de Quartier, Mali
TIME: 8:30 PM, Jul 28
ATTENDANCE: 67 Women Students (20 Infants), 3 Teachers, and the Kinkajou Team

CONTACT:

1. Maria Goita, Director of the ONG Apperie a la promotion des aides menogeres, (Bambara) l'honneur de la femme


2. Madam Dembele neé Jacqueline Goita


3. Adama Traore, Animateur ONG APAF Muso Danbe


4. Guidioama Home, Secretaire/Director


5. Doh née Roreian Goita

NOTES:
Student Feedback

• If it is too dark in the room the teacher cannot see the students in the back of the room and does not call on them


• Pictures are too small and faint, line weight is too thin


• What if it breaks? How will they fix it?


• Overall, they liked it

Teacher Feedback

• For learning how to read and interpret images it works well


• Very grateful that we tested the device with them first


• ADVANTAGES




• Currently they do not have enough books for the class


• Able to give all students same reading material concurrently


• Most useful for students who already know how to read and are learning something new from the material on the cassette. May be most useful in all classes once the students know how to read.


• The letters show up great ("c'est tres bien")


• Economical (saves energy from using lights which costs approximately 75k-100k per class per month, cost of books)


• Made for night use


• Fun for students - like a movie theater that creates something different from their daily lives


• They think the students were more interactive than usual - asked more questions, were attentive, answered questions and volunteered to read aloud


• Very easy to use, even getting started


• They think it will make the students feel better learning with new technology instead of old torn up books


• Everyone can follow along at the same point in the readings and teacher can point out text for entire class




• CONCERNS




• Depending on a machine


• Maintenance - suggested that each country has a team that is trained to fix and maintain the device, otherwise it is garbage


• How long will it last?


• Where will they get batteries? What is the cost?


• How can they make their own cassette? Especially important for villages


• Students can't write at the same time because it is too dark and writing is taught by mimicking the teacher

Technical Observations

• The students noticed a few typo errors in the WE program (p. 44, p. 48)


• The light began to diminish after 20 minutes of running it. This is because we had not substituted in a set of fresh batteries before the class (they were the same batteries we had been using for the entire trip)


• New batteries produced a bright image


• Slight flickering in the image


• Need to determine optimal picture height and angle of projection


• Words were bright enough and bold enough for everyone to read


• Images were too small, fine lined, and detailed to be legible


• Page numbers need to be larger


• Blank pages confused the teacher, indicated end of tape

OUR COMMENTS:

• From an outsider's perspective it looks like Mdm Dembelenee holds a dominating presence. She is a woman of her word. The group of over 60 women came together in a community and support network. It looks like a great program. They have chants and clap to break the ice. They encourage each other with applause after a woman answers a question correctly. Women are welcome to bring their babies to class and many of them do. In attendance there were 67 women and 22 babies. The meeting was very exciting. It was like watching our dream come true. 6 months ago I would have only imagined being able to show the Kinkajou to a classroom full of students and we had over 60 women being taught by a teacher with the Kinkajou. - Kateri


• The Kinkajou seemed to mesh seamlessly with their class. The teachers and students immediately understood how to use the device. The teachers were able to teach with it quite easily, and the students seemed eager to learn from the Kinkajou. The biggest problem with the device is that the projection is too low-it should be raised by at least 2-3 feet; the problem with using a book or box to raise the projector is that it obstructs the view, angling the Kinkajou produces a distorted image. After this first real Kinkajou test, I am excited about the prospect of its viability, but first we must: drive down the cost, determine an ideal manner of producing content, raise the projected image and determine some means of local maintenance. -Beto


• The problems experienced having the image projected so everyone could see are the same ones experienced with slide and LCD projectors even in modern classrooms. This is the reason why most projectors are hung from the ceiling.

Kinkajou in Kemon

This afternoon we had our tenth field test of the Kinkajou projector--this time with a village literacy class organized by the Evangelical Church. This class, held regularly throughout the year through two groups in the village, is open to all ages. The classes take place in the late afternoon, between the time when adults get back from the fields and before sunset. They concentrate on basic literacy, but also cover introductory math skills.

The exercises we saw involved the instructor, Paul Boni, writing a phrase on the blackboard for the more advanced students to read.

The teacher then asked students to come up to the board to underline different letters.

He then had them all practice writing a specific letter of the alphabet.

This particular class was held inside what used to be a grain store room. The other class, which takes place on the other side of town, takes place either outside or in a nearby elememtary school classroom.

After the teacher ran through the regular classroom exercises, we set up the Kinkajou projector for them to try out. It was around 5 PM when we started with the Kinkajou--even though we closed the sliding door of the grainery and covered the crack with the classroom chalkboard, there was still a lot of light coming into the room from the wall vents near the roof.

In terms of lighting, these were the worst conditions of any Kinkajou test. The cassette was also in Bambara, rather than the local Nagot language. Suprisingly, even from a distance of thirty feet, class members of all ages were still able to read all of the text and they claimed to have no trouble making out the images. From my own vantage point about 15 feet from the wall, I could also read the text, but the images were too faint and the lines to wide to really make out.

The words on the cassette didn't have any meaning for the students, but they were still able to sound them out. The only hitch with the cassette was that the letter 'c' doesn't exist in the Nagot alphabet.

As at the APAF girl's literacy class in Bamako, the students seemed to enjoy the novelty of the Kinkajou, and the feeling of being in a movie theater. The teacher picked up right away on the function of the Kinkajou, and appreciated not having to bend over to write and erase things from the blackboard.

In terms of utility, the results of the test were less clear. This being a basic literacy class, the students spent less time reading aloud than they did copying letters onto the class blackboard and onto their own smaller blackboards.

For reading exercises, the teacher made up short, simple sentences on the spot for the students to read from the class blackboard. It may be the case that at a later point in the curriculum the students spend more time reading aloud, in a fashion similar to the APAF and World Ed courses. MVV will help us to find out more about how Kinkajou might work in the village.

One last note about the literacy class. Those completing the curriculum received a certificate and ID card signed by the teacher and the local program director, stating that they have learned how to read the local language. For most students, this is the only diploma they'll ever receive.

Kinkajou at Centre Songhai

Yesterday evening, we had our eleventh test of the Kinkajou system, this time for Bill Adé, the Songhai machine shop manager, and a group of technical trainees from Benin and Nigeria. The test was held at the Centre Songhai auditorium, an open-air, grass-roofed amphitheater with seating for about 300--the largest meeting space of our field tests to date.

Given that the Centre Songhai is well served with electrical outlets, and many of the offices have computers, the trainees were initially skeptical of the the Kinkajou's utility. Early recommendations included adding the ability to play video cassettes and computer files.

Bill arrived ten or fifteen minutes into the demonstration, and pointed out that the Kinkajou would be a useful training tool for two Songhai centers in northern Benin, and their outreach programs in local villages. The discussion then moved onto more technical aspects of power requirements and the possibility of local manufacture.

This morning, we met with Songhai director Frere Nzamujo and Léonce Sessou, the head of communications. They were impressed with the rugged design, and the fact that the projected image was still visible on the wall of Nzamujo's office, even though it was still pretty bright in the room with all the daylight coming through the blinds. They are interested in running a pilot test with the projector at their rural training centers in northern Benin and Nigeria. These discussions will continue via email once we get back to the US.