Asia is the largest and most populous continent in the world. The continent has vastly different economies from Japan, Korea and China to Indonesia and India, and habitually brightens the world with its latest innovations, which are about to cultivate promising changes in global poverty fight. It’s widely thought that the most interesting digital market in Asia is actually not the likes of Korea and Japan, but is more China, Indonesia, and India. These are the markets that are really pushing the boundary and innovating the most.
Here are a few examples of new technology developed in Asia that will assist the world of poor:
- Life Saving Dot
According to the World Health Organization, iron deficiency anemia is one of the most widespread nutritional disorders in the world. Millions of women across rural India suffer from breast cancer, fibrocystic breast disease and complications during pregnancy and most of these cases are linked to iodine deficiency.In order to fight one of the most common causes of breast cancer, Talwar Bandi in association with Grey Singapore developed Life Saving Dot. A little iodine patch, meant to replace a bindi — a traditional red dot worn on the center of the forehead, commonly by Hindu and Jain women as a celebration of femininity and beauty — and consists of 150-220 micrograms of iodine. This amount is a daily norm for women that dramatically increases chances to prevent breast cancer. - Eco Cooler
Eco Cooler is another revolutionary technology developed in Asia, namely in Bangladesh. It is a cheap and environmentally-friendly zero electricity air cooler developed by Grey Dhaka. The technology uses re-purposed plastic bottles cut in half and put into a grid, in accordance with available window sizes. Depending on wind direction and airflow pressure, the Eco Cooler is decreasing the temperature inside the house. The invention is critical for the country, where the temperature often rises up to 113 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer period. - Vodafone
About 47% of the labor force in India is involved in agriculture. In April 2016, the Indian government revealed that about 330 million people across the country were affected by drought.Vodafone is rolling out rainwater-harvesting billboards, invented in India and meant to help drought-affected farmers by harvesting rainwater. The billboards store up to 2,000 liters of water in U-curved aluminum sheets that can be distributed to farmers. Water sensor technology alerts collection teams who transport the rainwater to rural farms when tanks are full. - 30-minute Ebola Tests
Researchers from Nagasaki University in Japan are collaborating with colleagues from Eiken Chemical to develop a 30-minute Ebola virus detection kit. The technology developed in Asia uses short DNA sequences called primers to amplify DNA unique to Ebola. Samples become cloudy if the patient has the Ebola virus. The team is currently working out ways to make its technology available in countries stricken by Ebola. - RainSprout
Grey Group Malaysia has developed innovative protection against Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne tropical disease. The RainSprout locates on a top of an umbrella and uses rainfall to distribute larvicide into the very puddles where mosquitoes can breed. The technology developed in Asia was distributed for free in central Malaysia.The RainSprout works via a replicable patch at the base which is impregnated with a non-toxic larvicide. When rain hits the patch, it mixes with the larvicide and runs off the umbrella into the puddles. Harmless to all other living organisms, the larvicide starves the mosquito larvae before they develop. - Flo
Mariko Higaki Iwai has designed an affordable solution to improve the lives of adolescent girls living in poverty. She designed a kit that allows girls to wash, dry and carry reusable sanitary pads.Flo will allow girls from Asia and Africa to go to school during their periods, where females often drop out of school due to the absence of sanitary pads and tampons. The innovation promises to improve the situation by helping girls to avoid embarrassment, attend school during the period and prevent reproductive infections and illnesses in the countries where young women were.
Asia varies greatly across and within its regions with regard to ethnic groups, cultures, environments, economics, historical ties and governments. There is much significant progress coming out of this continent to help the world’s poor with new technology developed in Asia.
– Yana Emets
Photo: Flickr