Archive for category: Technology

Information and stories about technology news.

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Virtual Reality Can Affect Global Poverty

Virtual Reality Can Affect Global Poverty
Although the technology of virtual reality (VR) is still in its infancy, it is steadily growing more advanced and more easily available to the public. VR is opening up all kinds of new opportunities and experiences, and they’re not just limited to video games – people around the world are finding that virtual reality can affect global poverty.

VR has made a strong impact in such fields as healthcare, manufacturing and even insurance. Many around the world see no reason why these advances shouldn’t also address humanitarian needs.

Researchers have found that virtual reality is incredibly powerful at building the feeling of empathy in users, which gives it obvious appeal to those in the non-profit world. With its ability to connect users to other people, the technology can make unprecedented strides in shining a light on the plight of millions.

According to Jeremy Bailenson of Stanford University, “Virtual reality transforms relationships that tend to be abstract to become visceral. Our research has shown that making this cause and effect relationship perceptual, as opposed to theoretical, changes consumer and other behaviors more than other interventions.”

Some non-profit organizations are now taking advantage of the fact that virtual reality can affect global poverty. HOPE International has found success by reaching out to potential donors with the technology by showing them exactly what problems their donations will be addressing. Boosted levels of empathy generate more contributions, helping to make a significant dent in global need.

Another organization, Trickle Up, combats poverty in some of the world’s poorest countries also by using virtual reality. By introducing VR experiences to donors at a fundraising gala, the organization was able to connect supporters to a local shop owner in Guatemala whose business would benefit from their donations. Trickle Up’s Communications Officer, Tyler McClelland, noted that having VR at the event increased interest and made guests more excited about the cause.

Some have taken the involvement of virtual reality in the humanitarian world to an even more interesting level. Chris Milk of UNICEF partnered with Samsung in 2015 to create Clouds Over Sidra, a virtual reality film that follows a 12-year old girl, Sidra, through her day-to-day life in the Syrian refugee camp of Za’atari in Jordan. Winner of the 2015 Doc/Fest Award, the film breaks barriers in the documentary world, making the VR viewer an interactive participant.

While there is much time and research yet to spend on the technology, early success strongly indicates that virtual reality can affect global poverty. It has the power to break down walls and, as the creator of Clouds Over Sidra said, it “connects humans to other humans in a profound way I’ve never before seen in any other form of media, and it can change people’s perception of each other. That is why I think virtual reality has the potential to actually change the world.”

– Emily Marshall

Photo: Flickr

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Five Space Inventions Helping the Developing World

Five Space Inventions Helping the Developing World
From non-stick frying pans to squirt guns to keeping our homes warm, innovations that originated as space inventions are used each and every day right here on earth. But, some space inventions have become even more useful than ever imagined, and are now helping fight poverty in the developing world. Here is a look at five space inventions and some of the ways each helps to alleviate human suffering.

Baby Blankets

From NASA’s efforts in the 1980s to create a material that could both insulate and cool astronauts facing extreme temperatures during spacewalks came phase-change materials, or PCM’s. Although this material never made it into astronaut’s gloves, the space invention that emerged proved effective for insulating. In 2013, Jen Chen created a company called Embrace Innovations, which makes swaddles and blankets using PCM technology. The Embrace business model is simple: buy a blanket or swaddle for your baby and one is donated to a baby in need in the developing world. To date, 200,000 babies have been reached across 10 countries.

Solar Energy

When NASA began studying Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) to develop uninhabited aircraft that could sustain long-duration flights without interruption, the need for new innovative solar power sources became paramount. Among the space inventions that resulted: single-crystal silicon solar cells that significantly reduced the cost of solar power. With billions still living without electricity worldwide, solar power has proved effective in helping get clean water, mobile charging, and general illumination to the developing world.

Freeze-dried Food

Through an alliance with Nestle, in the pre-Apollo era, NASA developed a technique for freeze-drying food which made the transportation of numerous orbital delight feasible. Today, freeze-dried food is used to prevent spoilage while providing life-saving nutrient-rich substance to people suffering from hunger in the developing world. For example, Stop Hunger Now, a non-profit based out of Raleigh, North Carolina, operates meal-packing programs in 20 cities worldwide. They ship dehydrated rice and soy meals that are fortified with 23 nutrients and vitamins to not only help solve the problem of hunger in the world but also help provide essential nutrients to those living with a vitamin or mineral deficiency.

Baby Formula

In an effort to alleviate some of the challenges of eating in space while also reducing waste, NASA, with the contracted help of Marietta Laboratories, worked with micro-algae to develop a special three-in-one food source. The invention didn’t work out as space-food; however, Marietta’s research provided the technology used to place nutritional supplements into infant formula and baby food. One in four children around the world suffers from chronic malnutrition that stunts their growth. And, due to poverty and poor nutrition, an estimated 200 million children under age five suffer from under-developed cognition. With nutrient-enriched baby food, organizations helping to fight poverty and malnutrition in the developing world have a better chance to reach children during the most critical stages of development — conception to two years.

Satellites

Some space inventions have not only changed the world but also changed the way we look at it. While the link between satellites, NASA and space are obvious, their ability to help feed those living in the developing world is a bit more complex. Satellites can generate images of vegetation that, in turn, can measure “greenness” and provide real-time rainfall data and imagery. Thus, this space invention helps officials and policy-makers monitor for potential crop failures throughout the developing world. With better prediction capabilities comes better awareness, and with better awareness comes the ability to prevent food shortages. NASA has even teamed up with the USAID through a new environmental monitoring program in West Africa called SERVIR-West Africa. The program plans to enhance the use of data collected from satellite imagery to help fight hunger by helping officials better manage climate issues that affect crop harvesting and nutritional planning.

– Ashley Henyan

Photo: Flickr

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Global Education in 2016

Global Education in 2016
Global education in 2016 has seen many successes and many challenges. Advances in technology have increased many children’s access to education and educational materials, but the ongoing refugee crisis has created an education crisis for children in much of the world. Above all, two landmark pieces of legislation, the Education for All Act and the Protecting Girls’ Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act have aimed to expand and protect access to education for those all over the world.

While many parts of the world suffering from poverty have limited access to resources such as textbooks and other school supplies, technology has been making strides to replace these things in countries all around the world. E-readers, smartphones and online libraries have been used in places like Sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti, and these advances aim to make education more accessible to children in impoverished regions.

This year has been notable for the refugee crisis, with 2.1 million Syrian children among the many global refugees. School enrollment rates for Syrian children remain lower than those in Sub-Saharan Africa, and refugee children remain five times more likely to be out of school than non-refugee children. This has been a serious challenge to global education in 2016, and it will likely continue well into 2017 and beyond.

Male students globally remain more likely to receive an education than their female counterparts, and this problem is what the Education for All Act hopes to solve. This bill is a bipartisan effort to advance and encourage basic education for all while prioritizing groups who have been marginalized or denied an education due to conflict.

Another effort to improve girls’ access to education worldwide is the Protecting Girls’ Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act. This legislation hopes to protect girls who are in danger from conflict or who are refugees by improving their access to education. When they are not enrolled in school, refugee girls are especially vulnerable to dangerous situations such as trafficking, child marriage and underage labor.

Global education has seen both improvements and increased challenges in 2016. While the refugee crisis has seen an uptick in children who are not enrolled in school, the Education for All Act and the Protecting Girls’ Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act aim to combat this problem and improve access to education for the most vulnerable and stigmatized.

– Eva Kennedy

Photo: Flickr

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Robin Food App Cuts Down on Food Waste and Helps the Poor

Robin Food App Cuts Down on Food Waste and Helps the Poor
Teens in Malaysia won the first Sime Darby’s Young Innovator’s Challenge with the Robin Food App, which connects businesses ready to donate surplus food to local food banks.

The Robin Food App is innovative because it presents a simple solution to two problems Malaysia and many other countries face: hunger and food waste.

Each day Malaysians produce 3,000 metric tons of avoidable food waste—enough food to feed 2.2 million people. About four percent of Malaysians live below the poverty line.

Cutting down on the amount of food wasted worldwide is an essential step to stopping climate change. Agriculture produces more greenhouse gasses than emissions from all cars, trains and airplanes combined.

Grocery stores, hotels, restaurants and other businesses can post on the Robin Food app when they have surplus food. Food banks are then notified of the surplus food in real time, pick up the food and distribute the food to those in need. The app also automatically generates statistics so that users can gain a sense of the impact their donations make.

Robin Food is available both as a web and smartphone app. The mobile app can even be accessed offline in areas that do not have internet access.

The Sime Darby Young Innovator’s Challenge is a new contest that challenges children aged 13-16 to think of a problem and come up with a solution that makes the world a better place. Applicants have the opportunity to participate in regional and national innovation workshops to gain the skills to develop their ideas further. The theme for this year’s contest was tackling poverty.

Sime Darby is a Malaysia-based multinational business conglomeration that has sectors in the plantation, industrial, property, motor and logistics sectors. The corporation is dedicated to bettering society while minimizing the impact on the environment and delivering sustainable development to all stakeholders.

Sime Darby will continue to challenge teens to generate innovative solutions to tackle major issues the world faces with creative solutions. The 2017 Young Innovators Challenge will begin in January. As the Robin Food app saves surplus food and feeds hungry Malaysians, many are excited to see which problems Malaysian teens will solve next.

– Cassie Lipp

Photo: Flickr

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Mapping Roads in Tanzania Improves Healthcare

Mapping Roads in Tanzania Improves Healthcare and other Developments
Mapping roads in Tanzania will fuel economic growth and development as well as improve healthcare and response to natural disasters.

Like many developing countries, roads and cities in Tanzania were previously off the grid from GPS devices and Google services such as Street View. With no map data, it is difficult to deliver aid and supplies to communities in need. Lack of map data affects virtually all transit in a country, from farmers transporting food to markets to residents of cities finding routes that avoid traffic on their commute.

However, recent efforts from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Bank have begun to put Tanzanian roads on the grid.

In an effort to improve how health supplies are delivered, USAID began mapping roads in Tanzania that connect more than 5,600 health centers. So far, more than 30,000 kilometers of roads have been mapped across the nation.

Previously, transporting medical supplies between these health centers and the communities that needed them was difficult because nearly half of Tanzania roads were not mapped online. This meant that if drivers did not know their delivery route, they had to rely on directions from locals. Drivers also did not know the road conditions or how long routes would take.

To map large amounts of roads quickly, USAID installed tracking devices on trucks from Tanzania’s medical stores department (MSD). USAID and MSD were able to determine the quickest routes possible to distribute medical supplies based on the data. The organizations also released the data to the public so all those looking to travel in Tanzania have access to the information.

The Ramani Huria community mapping group in the city of Dar es Salaam helped upload this data. The group has also begun mapping the streets of Dar es Salaam, where map data will become crucial to help the city better prepare and respond to natural disasters.

To map the city’s streets, local volunteers attach camera rigs to their vehicles and take pictures as they travel the streets. They can also use the Swedish app Mapillary to take photos as they walk or hitch rides around the city.

So far volunteers have helped map 300 miles of the project’s 2,000-mile goal. Images captured with Mapillary become 3D digital maps that show real-time data of Dar es Salaam.

Aside from the maps providing data about traffic and travel times, they can also be used to help locate areas that are in danger of flooding, develop plans to prepare for heavy floods and assess which routes can be taken to deliver aid in case of flooding.

Rising sea levels and heavy rainfall from March to May leave Tanzania prone to floods. Each year floods leave hundreds to thousands of Tanzanians homeless and cause many deaths. While the poverty rate is 28 percent, mapping roads in Tanzania will help combat some of the issues that lead to poverty.

– Cassie Lipp

Photo: Flickr

MyPo: New Innovation in 3D Printed Prosthetics in Paraguay

MyPo
The Paraguayan nonprofit organization Po in collaboration with Thalmic Labs are using 3D technology to provide MyPo, an advanced type of prosthetic, to low-income people in the country.

According to the co-founder of Po, Eric Dijkhunis, there is a high percentage of limb amputations in the country because of unsafe work conditions and frequent motorcycle accidents. Unfortunately, less than one percent of people who have limb amputations are able to afford a prosthetic. Po claims it can make more than 100 3D printed prosthetics at the cost of one traditional model.

MyPo 3D Printing

3D printed prosthetics have many advantages over traditional ones. 3D printing allows those in need to receive their limb faster and cheaper. Cost is especially challenging for Paraguayans. Just one traditional upper limb prosthetics on average cost between $30,00 to $80,000. Even more problematic is the fact that prosthetics are not a one-time purchase. Prosthetics must be replaced after several years. Also, parents of children with an amputation must buy different prosthetics as the child grows and develops. However, a 3D printed limbs can cost less than $200.

Initially, Po only produced basic 3D printed prosthetics that could be personalized. Patients are encouraged to choose the colors and the design on their model. Recently, Po paired up with the Thalmic Labs to make the MyPo, a 3D printed prosthetics that uses bioelectric technology. The device moves based on bioelectric signals sent from the amputee’s muscles. Additionally, the MyPo can be paired with Thalmic Labs’ Myo armband which allows human movement to control electronic devices. Not only is it functional, but the MyPo is comfortable and easy to use even for those who are not tech savvy. It will be sold at a relatively cheap price and a portion will be subsidized by private donations. They are currently trying to raise $50,000 for their Indiegogo campaign and have already reached $35,000 with 160 donators.

As of November of this year, five people are testing the MyPo. Po-partner organizations are duplicating the MyPo model in Argentina and Brazil. Dijkhunis encourages people in other countries to use this technology, he says “We believe that these technologies applied to social impact are not only disrupting an industry, but are rewriting the rules of the game for the future of prosthetics, and handing the power of innovation to people all around the world.”

Paraguay is not the only country with such a high volume of amputees who cannot afford a prosthetic, but the MyPo model can provide millions around the world an affordable and advanced prosthetic.

– Karla Umanzor

Photo: Flickr

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Drones for Refugees: Saving Lives in the Mediterranean

Drones for Refugees: Saving Lives in the Mediterranean
Since 2014, 10 people have died every day attempting to travel to Mediterranean countries by sea. The Drones for Refugees project wants to make the voyage safer.

The drones livestream areas heavily trafficked by refugees in the Mediterranean Sea and use infrared sensors to allow easy viewing at night. The drones run on solar batteries and use wireless internet connection, requiring little human involvement. Workers in ground stations monitor the footage on a computer or mobile device and collect information such as the number of people on a boat, the coordinates, whether the route is correct and whether there are enough life vests. In the case of an emergency, monitors quickly alert rescue crews. Newer drone prototypes carry an emergency aid package that can be released when needed. This quick response can save many lives.

The prototype was tested in Lesbos between July and August 2016. A more advanced version will debut in Sicily in the spring of 2017. Drones for Refugees is currently self-funded, but with help from investors and donors, the organization hopes to produce larger drones capable of traveling longer distances.

Project director Mehdi Salehi originally co-founded Good Drones, an innovation and design lab focused on using drones to solve social problems. Drones for Refugees is only one of the projects of the Good Drones initiative. Salehi was inspired by news footage of Syrian refugees traveling on worn-down boats in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, as well as his own personal experiences.

In 2001, Salehi was an Afghani refugee. He and a friend traveled to Greece on a small boat. Once he arrived in Greece, Salehi was imprisoned for five months. Eventually, with the help of a Greek lawyer, he was able to receive political asylum. He went on to graduate from the University of Volos and moved to New York to attend Parson School of Design. He says about his experience, “I was very lucky. I got a lot of support from people that met me along the way, especially in Greece. They encouraged me and believed in me. Refugees and migrants, that’s what we need: an opportunity to thrive.”

For refugees, crossing the Mediterranean can be an exhausting and terrifying experience. Drones for Refugees wants to ensure that refugees are given a fighting chance to escape the violence and oppression in their home countries.

– Karla Umanzor

Photo: Flickr

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HIV-Detecting USB: Changing the Lives of HIV Patients

HIV-Detecting USB: Changing the Lives of HIV Patients

Scientists at Imperial College London and tech company DNA Electronics have developed a USB that can diagnose HIV and allow patients to track their own virus levels. This HIV-detecting USB could save the lives of many.

Worldwide, 36.7 million people have HIV. According to AIDS.gov, the majority of HIV-positive people are from disadvantaged countries. A large number are unaware of their status. Others who know they are positive do not have access to necessary equipment.

According to Dr. Graham Cooke, a researcher from the Department of Medicine at Imperial College, “We have taken the job done by this equipment, which is the size of a large photocopier, and shrunk it down to a USB.”

How Does It Work?

The process is simple. The patient places a drop of blood on the USB. A complementary metal-oxide semiconductor detects HIV RNA. The presence of HIV in the patient’s blood triggers a change in acidity in the metal, which is translated into an electrical signal. Users can read the results on a computer.

Scientific Reports published the results of trials in early November. The USB tested 991 blood samples with 95% accuracy. The average wait time to get results was under 21 minutes. The process is quick and accurate. The technology is still in its early stages and will not be on the market for a while, but according to reports, the HIV-detecting USB is relatively inexpensive to produce.

Easily Used Outside of Hospitals

The developers want this device to reach patients living in regions where hospitals have limited resources to monitor their patients’ blood HIV levels.

The device is not restricted to medical facilities. Patients in remote areas can use the device to monitor their own HIV levels. Tracking virus levels helps patients receive accurate antiviral treatments and prevent the development of drug resistance.

Cook said, “HIV treatment has dramatically improved over the last 20 years…However, monitoring viral load is crucial to the success of HIV treatment.”

Soon, this HIV-detecting USB may be instrumental to treatment in underserved areas around the globe.

– Karla Umanzor

Photo: Flickr

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SE200 Community Chlorine Maker: Clean Water in Five Minutes

SE200 Community Chlorine Maker: Clean Water in 5 MinutesClean water is unavailable to many people around the world. According to Water.org, 663 million people do not have access to safe drinking water.

To help remedy this issue, the SE200 Community Chlorine Maker is using electricity and salt to provide clean drinking water to people in need. By producing accurate amounts of chlorine, the battery powered device is able to clean 200 liters of water in five minutes. Chlorine kills an array of microbes and sanitizes water thoroughly. However, chlorine is not always available in remote and impoverished areas.

The Chlorine Maker is simple to use. Water is mixed with salt and poured into a brine bottle. Then the solution is added to the chlorine maker. The device is attached to either a 12V battery or wall plug. After the start button is pushed the liquid begins to bubble. This indicates that electrolysis is occurring. The chemical reaction creates bleach.

Originally this technology was developed by the military but the Mountain Safety Research (MSR) in collaboration with PATH, an international health organization, modified it so anyone can easily use it directly at water sources.

Compared to other chlorine generators, the SE200 Community Chlorine Maker is relatively inexpensive and easy to use. Most importantly, it is able to calculate the correct amount of chlorine needed each time it is used. The SE200 Community Chlorine Maker has been tested in different countries such as Kenya and Ghana. It was officially put on the market in May of this year. It currently costs $200.

MSR and PATH in partnership with World Vision and Operation Blessing want to bring the Chlorine Maker to communities in need of clean water at no cost to them. MSR launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $50,000 in order to send a minimum of 2,500 devices to communities around the world by the end of 2017. These devices will provide safe drinking water for approximately 500,000 people.

In late November, MSR reached their $50,000 goal and now hopes to reach $60,000. They are currently at $59,500 with 645 backers. With their goals met, the SE200 Community Chlorine Maker will improve the lives of many.

– Karla Umanzor

Photo: Flickr

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Digital Otoscope: Can a Smartphone Detect Ear Infections?

Digital Otoscope
Ear infections are very common among young children and can be easily treated. By the age of three, a majority of children would have already experienced at least one ear infection. The problem emerges when ear infections go untreated. It can possibly cause serious medical issues. Researchers from Umea University in Sweden and the University of Pretoria in South Africa wanted to make diagnosis easy and affordable for people in developing countries. They created a software-based smartphone system along with a digital otoscope that can diagnose ear infections.

Claude Laurent, a researcher at the Department of Clinical Sciences at Umea University, says “Because of lack of health personnel in many developing countries, ear infections are often misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all. This may lead to hearing impairments, and even to life-threatening complications.”

A digital otoscope is connected to a smartphone and takes photos of the eardrum. Then it is displayed on the smartphone. Since the software is cloud-based, the image is uploaded to the cloud. It is then analyzed and compared to archived images. The system automatically places it into one of the five diagnostic groups.

The system is completely portable allowing it to be used directly in the homes in villages and small towns.

Laurent says “Using this method, health personnel can diagnose middle ear infections with the same accuracy as general practitioners and pediatricians.” This is extremely important, as there tends to be a shortage of ear specialist in developing areas.

Traditionally, a pneumatic otoscope is used by doctors to view how much fluid is behind the patient’s eardrum. Although this method has been used for a long time, it is not always accurate. Often ear infections are misdiagnosed which may cause harm to the patient.

However, the software could possibly fix the problem of misdiagnosis. The digital otoscope has an 80.6 percent accuracy rate, while traditional otoscopes have an accuracy between 64 to 80 percent.

“This method has great potential to ensure accurate diagnoses of ear infections in countries where such opportunities are not available at present. Since the method is both easy and cheap to use, it enables rapid and reliable diagnoses of a very common childhood illness,” Laurent says.

Once widely available, this software-based smartphone system, with the use of cloud technology and a digital otoscope, will provide relief for children in various parts of the world.

– Karla Umanzor

Photo: Flickr