What Remain to Consider?

I read four articles on social innovations for undeveloped area of this week, all of them, including five technologies bringing energy, Ikea shelters, self-adjustable eyeglasses and water-purifying devices, provide human-centered solutions to help people improve their life even under limitations of developing areas. And those innovations are not only about bring energy, homes, clear vision and safe water for people, but also about creating opportunities for jobs, education, sustainable environmental and economic development for undeveloped countries.

However, in my perspective, although some inventions seem to be very functional and practical at first glance, there still remain some problems to be further considered.

According to World Health Organization estimates, nearly one billion people around world need corrective eyewear for clear vision. However, in undeveloped countries, one optometrist averagely serves 6 million people, in sub-Saharan Africa, one optometrist is responsible even for 8 million people.[1] Lacking of professional optometrist is the main obstacle for people in developing areas to correct their vision. Glasses can be self-adjusted seem to be an effective solution towards it. And many companies and organizations, like Dow Corning, Ad Specs, are trying to produce those glasses at an affordable price for undeveloped countries. Currently The Focus on Vision Foundation is able to produce a pair of glasses for only $4,[2] which is more accessible for people with low income. However, I think there still remain a problem, people need prescriptions to help them accurately adjust their glasses. Without professional guidance or prescription, many people, especially children and teenagers, are not able to accurately correct their vision, which may cause harm to their eyes and health. In addition, the function of self-adjusted eyeglasses is limited to improving short-sightedness and far-sightedness, astigmatism and other eye problems will continue to distract people from work and study. Thus, under current technology, I don’t think self-adjusted glasses can completely replace optometrists in developing area.

Besides, another social invention also caught my eye—Ikea shelters for refugees. It seems to be an ideal home for refugees who just arrive in a new country. It has PV system to generate electricity, lockable doors to ensure safety, sustainable building materials to endure harsh weather and larger space for privacy. Moreover, it is easy to assemble like other Ikea products. And in a long run, it is cost efficient compared to tents. Until now, more than 10000 units of Ikea shelter have been received worldwide.[3] It already had positive impact on living conditions of refugees. Also, I feel it is a good idea to accommodate homeless people in cities. However, what I consider is how to create enough space for those shelters? They are larger than tents but accommodate less refugees, in space-limited environment, such as narrow valleys, how can those shelters accommodate large number of refugees? Furthermore, how to transport those shelters is another issue to be considered.

Resources:

[1] TED: Adjustable Liquid-filled Eyeglasses: https://www.ted.com/talks/josh_silver_demos_adjustable_liquid_filled_eyeglasses/transcript?language=en

[2] Self-Adjusting Glasses Provide a Vision for the Future: http://borgenproject.org/self-adjusting-glasses-provide-vision-future/

[3] Designed with and for Refugees: http://www.bettershelter.org/product/

[4] Ikea and Better Shelter Are Sending Flat-Pack Housing To Refugees In Greece: https://www.fastcoexist.com/3054422/ikea-and-better-shelter-are-sending-flat-pack-housing-to-refugees-in-greece