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. The core requirements of what is developed is that it uses appropriate technologies for the place where it is implemented as well as uses local labor and resources to support the local economy and communities.

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 - A pump that runs on hydropower. The agricultural center has a waterfall on its property. Implement a pump there would provide water.
• Power
  • Microhydro Power - The waterfall on the agricultural center's property can be harnessed to provide 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 to help preserve the center's output for market. Currently have a test prototype to learn about solar food drying.