Appropriate Technologies Lab

Overview

This page is for the Appropriate Technologies Lab's (ATL) collaboration projects with Engineers Without Borders (EWB) - UAH & Engineers Without Borders - Huntsville Professionals (EWB - UAH-HSV Google Group). The ATL will operate in support of EWB's projects for a community agricultural center based in the Kanyama Chiefdom of NorthWestern Province, Zambia.

Calendar

• Every Friday, 12pm - 1pm: Engineers Without Borders Joint Student-Professional Meeting, UAH campus, Madison Hall Rm 133.
• First Thursday of Every Month, 7pm-8pm: Engineers Without Borders Professional Meeting, UAH in the MAE library on the second floor of Olin B. King Technology Hall

Projects & Status

• Water Delivery & Purification
  • Water Hippo Hack
  • Hydraulic Ram Pump
• Power
  • Microhydro Power
• Agricultural Gear
  • Soil Limer Maker - Zambia has very acidic soil and it must be limed for agriculture. Local limestone deposits can be harvested for lime. Need to make a low-energy and low-resources input device that can make lime from limestone.
    • 9/13/10 - Gregabyte & Preauxphoto - Propose building a ball mill from a crank and 55-gallon steel drum to crush limestone. Gregabyte has plans for a mill.
    • 9/13/10 - Gregabyte's observation Appropriate Technologies Lab/Soil ph. Can make Slaked Lime by a burning and hydration process. Less labor-intensive than a limestone crusher and you get a more effective product.
  • Cultivator - Tools to help cultivate fields quickly with only human power. There is an example at the agricultural center that is made from an old bike attached to a cultivator tool head. It reduces the time of cultivation of a field from several days to two hours.
  • Solar Food Dryer - Need one with a drying capacity of 100-200 lbs of produce per day. Currently have a test prototype to learn about solar food drying.