2012年8月5日星期日

How a Washer and Dryer Can Change the Lives of Thousands of Peruvians and the World


A human-powered washer and dryer has been created to specifically address issues faced by those living in poverty in Lima, Peru.Known as the GiraDora, the innovative creation is not just about helping Peruvians get stains out. It is so much more than that.The GiraDora is a human-powered washer and spin dryer that increases the efficiency and improves the experience of washing clothes by hand.Electric hand dryers work in one of two ways: They can be fully automatic hand dryer, which uses a motion sensor to turn them on and off. Push button models require the user to hold a button in order to keep the machine going. If you select a push button model, you will need to decide on what kind of cycle it has. A push button style can run for a predetermined length of time, or they can be adjustable, allowing you to set the timing.It's foot-powered designs also allows for a more comfortable alternative to washing clothes verses the back- and wrist-breaking work of using a washboard. The seated operation of GiraDora is much more comfortable and ergonomic than women's current practice of squatting over basins on the ground thereby helping to alleviate chronic lower back pain.The Peruvian weather often results in washed clothes taking up to three weeks to dry when simply hung up. This also causes mold to grow on the garments which has been known to cause many respiratory problems in children, including asthma. By using the GiraDora to remove the majority of the moisture from the clothing, the risk of mold growth is drastically reduced.
The $40 device was created after a research team spent two weeks doing field research and observation in Lima's Cerro Verde 30,000-person slum. They witnessed these Peruvians spending a large portion of their time collecting water for a number of basic tasks and realized "so much time, energy, and resources are used for basic water chores like cooking and cleaning. It leaves little time for other activities that might help one get out of poverty." The major time-suck being the process of washing clothes.
About a year ago, two design students named Alex Cabunoc and Ji A You traveled from their homes in Los Angeles to Cerro Verde, a 30,000 person slum outside of Lima.Think about it - when the electricity happens to go out at night, since your LED lamp is powered by being charged from the sun you will not ever have to worry about not having any light around your home adding that extra security during a power outage. Solar security lights can be as simple as having a solar lamp post light to having a motion-activated solar security light. As students in the celebrated Design Matters program at Art Center College of Design, which focuses on social innovation, they had come to Cerro Verde as part of a special studio called Safe Agua Peru. Their goal? Develop a commercial product that alleviates issues related to water poverty, targeted at people who earn between $4 and $10 a day.The students spent two weeks in Cerro Verde, working closely with inhabitants to prototype "co-created" products at a break-neck speed. Since returning, nearly half of the students have won International Design Excellence Awards, and a student-made documentary about the trip called Hands in the Mist has been shortlisted for a Young Directors Award at Cannes. Cabunoc and You's design—a manually powered washer and dryer that costs less than $40 called GiraDora—has drawn special attention.Electric hand dryers come in many different styles and shapes with different features to ensure each business and organization can find the stainless steel hand dryer to fit their needs and their budget. But, how do you choose between the various styles? Let's look at a few of the different options and features to help you decide what type is best for you.How electric hand dryers mount onto the wall will factor in to how well they will fit into a space

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