Dust, Bugs and Moisture

The photos above show common problems for electrical devices: keeping dust, bugs and moisture out. Almost all computers, printers and monitors use plastic, paper or cloth for protection. People also wrap light boxes with plastic to keep bugs out since most huts have open doors, and/or holes in roofs where bugs enter the hut. Other people never take the product out of the purchased box and instead display the product in the box.

Moisture during the monsoon season is the hardest to protect against as the moisture seeps in no matter what you do. Although one photo above has plastic around it to protect from moisture, I’m afraid it won’t do much good.

Here Comes the Sun: Solar Powered Tuki

According to the World Bank 1.6 billion people, who mostly live in rural villages, use kerosene based wicked lamps for light due of lack of electricity or unable to afford it. Kerosene is not only expensive for those who’s income is limited and unreliable, but has adverse effects on health.
The homes lacking electricity consist of one or two rooms. They are huts constructed of mud, cow dung and straw, with ceilings and walls covered with black soot from the use of wicked lamps. A majority of these huts lack windows causing smoke to be trapped within. It’s hard to imagine how families, who spend as many as four to six hours at night, manage to breath the thick heavy air.

Progress is being made by the efforts of organizations like Selco, based in India and Nepal’s Environmental Camps for Conservation Awareness (ECCA) Both promote renewable and clean technologies. ECCA sells it’s Solar Tuki (tuki means light in Nepalese) in various rural regions of Nepal. The Solar Tuki won the international competition “Global Development Marketplace: of the World Bank” in 2005. The Solar Tuki package (seen above) aims to replace kerosene based wicked lamps with solar photovoltaic charged lamps. It’s goal is to increase the quality of the rural village population along with reducing environmental pollution.

The Tuki package, sells for $50 and is at times bought on installments through mobilization of local saving and credit groups. To date more then 6,000 Nepalese households have displaced kerosene lamps by the solar tuki and more are in the process of being sold as demand is greater then supply.
The package consists of two Tuki light units each containing four LED’s, and one 3 watt solar panel which measures 7’ x 10” able to prove three hours of power; e.g. it can provide two hours of light or power a radio, and fully charge one mobile phone. More importantly is comes with a five year warranty which gives people confidence that their investment is safe.

The Village Geek

There always seems to be one person in a village who qaulifies as the village geek. This is the person who at best has a 6 or 7th grade education, yet he is able to fix a broken radio or VCR. It sill surprises me to see a satellite dish sitting on the roof of a thatched hut, reminding me rural villages do not follow Western market segment criteria; instead it's a mix of the old, new and the cultural context of the community. 

The village geek is usually the first to own a mobile phone but he lacks energy to recharge so he will buy a solar light panel, hotwire the panel and phone together and presto be able to get the news on market prices for his tomatoes. In doing so others will proceed to buy a phone for themselves knowing that they can charge it.

I've come to like the village geek ( ... OK so I have a thing for geekie guys) because he is cleaver, resourceful and creative.  He is also fun because most people in the village come to understand that soccer games and Bollywood movies can be enjoyed after a day in the fields or before the men go off to defend their crops from wild boars.

I'd Walk a Mile for a Charge

The number of mobile phones in rural farm villages throughout India and Nepal is small but growing fast. On average a village of 50 homes will have three to four villagers who own mobile phones. Often these people talk with family members who live in urban areas. One reason, beside cost of the phone and service, preventing more to purchase mobiles is the lack of energy to charge the phones. The solution for the few who have phones, is to WALK to the next village to recharge. The next village can be as close as 1/2 mile or several miles away. One man I met today walked eight miles to recharge his phone.

Man vs. Animal

Man vs. Animals.
Rural Indian farmers face a host of problems which include draught and low market prices for their goods. As we traveled throughout the state of Karnataka, visiting small rural villages we learned of yet another problem facing farmers: elephants and wild bores.

After we piloted our on-demand generator and a small solar light to farmers in the villages there was great interest in the light. After some discuss between the farmers one asked “how much?”
“About $10” we answered.
“Where can we buy this?”
We explained it was only a prototype and asked why the interest.
“The elephants.”
“What elephants?” we asked as we looked around the village. The farmer pointed to the hills several miles away and told us to follow him. As we walked toward his field we saw downed trees pulled out of the ground. In the previous night this farmer lost his entire crop.

Current situation: The farmers stay out in the fields all night, perched in trees waiting for the elephants to arrive to feed on the crops. When the farmers hear the elephants near they throw firecrackers to scare them away. However it's so dark that it’s too late to see the elephants and often the men get badly hurt when the elephants charge the trees.
Possible Solution: The farmers said if they had a RELIABLE and affordable source of light it could help them guard their crops. Several farmers desired a pencil beam light that would reach the length of 20-30 meters allowing them to shine a light to see the animals. In many other villages we learnt of similar interest and stories about wild boars, bears and monkeys. People also desired a reliable light to see snakes as they walked the fields at night. In all cases light would offer the ability to see and protect their crops.

Voltage Stabilizer

This Voltage Stabilizer was found in a rural village. It is similar to a US surge protector but this will handle very long periods and high voltage excursions which occurs often in India when the power returns. It is common for the voltage to double for seconds. Naturally this is a problem because the spikes literally burn the electronics, e.g. radios, fans. For example: one of the villages had 20 TV's burn out at once when a surge occurred. It was doubly frustrating for the villagers because all the village men were watching a major soccer tournament.
This will be the last blog for a few days. We leave tonight for a ten hour bus ride to Belgaum where we will be visiting three small villages with no electricity - hence no Internet.

The I-team: Joshua, Kurt and Terri

Pictured here is the I-Team showing signs of jet lag before heading off to MSFT research lab in Bangalore. Once there we prepared for Tuesday's pilot being held in two villages south of Blore (Blore is short for Bangalore). One village is off the grid, the other is on the grid but has daily blackouts lasting six hours each afternoon.

The office which houses the MSFT lab is a fantastic work place conducive to brainstorming and collaboration. I was surprised just how nice it is. Later in the day Josh and I went to Nokia to meet with Nokia's India Design Research Director. As we walked off the elevator into the Nokia space Josh's jaw dropped in awe ...and a bit of envy. This space houses Nokia's India design headquarters, one of several design centers Nokia is building around the world for emerging market development. (Another design/research office in under construction in Kenya.)
The Nokia design/research groups are comprised of researchers, designers, engineers. Their role is to bring findings from emerging countries to the business units ensuring products are born of user-centered requirements, hence one reason why Nokia is so well regarded and the top selling phone in India. As one informed person told me: many villagers think Nokia is an India brand. Consumers feel Nokia is so complete and committed to India that it must be an India company. Based on the success and manner of working Nokia has established, it is definitely a best of breed company for those working in emerging markets.