THE Product

Here we present our biodigestor

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For more details check the Hands On tab

Start-Up Process

Let’s get it started!

So, on Saturday 14th we all woke up early to be ready at 9:00am in the Centro de Congresos for our session. We were taught some basic principles of developing a product and conducting market research in order for our product to be a success. We were also explained about the pitch contest; how it works and a video, so we could see what we’ll have to do on Friday. We were shown some other videos. A particular interesting one was about a football, which generates and stores energy just by being kicked.

Later, we were divided in our teams and then came another mini-challenge: we had to develop a “pitch” presentation for an unknown cellphone, which we discovered on our tables, on 15 minutes. Obviously, the main challenge was to do it in the time limit, and we had to find the phone’s ”secret abilities” in order to show them to the audience and why it is a great product to invest on. Some teams did a great job presenting the product by making it interesting, and others preferred a funnier way to do it -which actually was funny-. At the end, it resulted a great experience and we had some practice doing a pitch presentation.

The actual challenge

After all the activities mentioned before the real challenge was presented to us. It mainly consists that we are, hypothetically, under extremely limited resources ($25 max) and chaotic conditions, so we need to come up with an innovative and low-cost “green” house which can help meet the urgent needs of our community. We shall develop a prototype and a pitch for investors and local government official for the group’s start-up enterprise.

Thinking and drafting…

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INTRODUCTION TO THE DESIGN PROCESS

On Wednesday, we met at the CDA to finish our tour through the facilities. After that, we were explained the challenge we’re going to work on next week. It consists of the design of a prototype which uses a renewable energy source in order to help our civilization survive a fictional post-apocalyptic era.

After that, we were distributed among the teams we will be working with for this challenge, but we were given also a surprise mini-challenge: we were told to build a stirling engine with some materials we were given at our work stations –cardboard, clips, a couple balloons, thread, cotton– during a limited amount of time.

We required to look up on the Internet what a stirling engine is and how it works in order to complete the challenge. We actually didn’t even know how to start; but after some research and discussion we started working. It was not easy to progress with the limited materials we had, and then another unexpected activity came: two members of each team were taken outside to do a material gathering in order to obtain things we needed for the engine. They came back with soda cans and “biomass” (dry tree branches and other things of the sort). The cans resulted essential for the construction of our engine, but we still didn’t fully understand its assembly. We decided to discuss its functioning in order for us to understand how to build it, then we got to a clear idea of how it works and how to build it, and finally we on our way. We had just overcome a small obstacle about a leaking air problem and were thinking “we’re going great” when the bell rang.

Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to complete our engine, but it was a great experience to get to know the other team members, their strengths, and to start getting used to work with all of them. In addition, we practiced our team thinking, team organization, and even some brainstormig. All of this will help us for the final project, and we had some fun.

The First Day…

Here’s where the Diiaki project starts.

The directors, Joy Ekuta, Netia McCray, and Victoria Okuneye, all students of the MIT, introduced themselves and gave a brief explanation of renewable energy.

Afterwards the rules, policies, and equipment of the CDA were explained to all the participants.

 

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