Demotech, design for self reliance - Overview of all design initiatives

All Designs

	Steel wire reinforced cement vessels and rings for wells Tying together cement tiles to construct water containers and rings for wells is the base for the additional extra layer of cement applied after the assembly of tiles is strengthened with many loops of steel wire.
	Stool with storage space For use in a cramped space these stools can be stacked on top of each other against the wall. They have storage space within its three panels and roll-off top.
	Shallow tube well Access to ground water (the aquifer) with a shallow tube well, but without investment in tools. The lining can act as filter.
	WindDrive Harvesting energy from the wind with low-tech means resulting in driving a small high-tech generator at high RPM.
	WeaverSeat A seat for weaving women, used for weaving with a back strap, offers the right ergonomic position, prevents knee and back strain. Made from bits of fuel wood and scrap sheet metals.
	StapleJoiner Join thin metal sheet to wood, ply board to wood, leader to wood with staples made from wire out of car tires. Drive the staples in with a locally made tool.
	Bench for sitting and working High stool, also useful as work bench, light to carry, its manufacture with staples teaches how to make lightweight constructions.
	Waste Plastic Roof Tiles Roof tiles that offer dubbel layer insolation from squized together plastic waste, produced with equipment affordable for people with lowest income.
	WallRack Wall rack, creating storage area in conditions as found in urban slums, to be manufactured by people without need for tools and without cost for materials.
	Table with storage space Sturdy table, also for use as workbench, detachable, constructed without nails, with storage space accessible from the top, closed by a flexible cover.
	Sieve for gravel Sift gravel for best quality concrete with a sieve with a mesh size of 10 to 25 mm's. Its frame can be locally made to the most appropriate size for the function at hand.
	IrrigationTripod Irrigation from an open well of more then 5 meters depth is less hard work in an energometric sound working position in a DIY-frame made from 2 m. long sticks.
	Traveling chest A sturdy, yet lightweight box to carry along vulnerable belongings as laptops and video equipment. Its lids offer easy access and also a comfortable seat.
	Butterfly Chair Butterfly chair, real sitting comfort, foldable, locally to be produced and made generally available. Should replace the commonly used replica of Western bourgeois seats.
	Welder for Plastic Dried agricultural produce wil not spoil when properly sealed in plastic sheet. For bags and other use, plastic sheet van be welded without electricity.
	Projection drawing table To make clear illustrations by tracing images from slides projected on the glass table top, this drawing table can be made by students of technical or graphic schools.
	Solar Cooking & Baking Orchestrated communal research project to provide soonest solar powered cooking and baking facilities in every house within the limits of 30 degrees of latitude N & S.
	Tin Bicycle Redesign to make a bicycle foldable and lightweight to take it along in public transport. Effective production in local workshops with little investment in tools.
	Wheels to ease a peasants burden Wheels, drives and bearings, as part of an engineering system to facilitate small scale agriculture for the poorest farmers.
	Concrete Hydram Industrial production of the hydram is replaced by DIY instruction set using a bag of cement, bits of wood and scrap rubber, still attaining good water lifting performance.
	Plastic Strip Drip Irrigation Water transport through tubes from strips of plastic sheets to replace PE pipe and for loss of pressure over a certain length due to resistance by small diameters.
	Water Bag Gain knowledge in detail of the why and how of water lifting when using a bag. Develop means to adjust existing methods to new demands.
	BathroomBox A clean, comforatable, compact box shaped toilet facility, separating urine and feaces for recycling on behalf of urban farming, meant for densely populated areas.
	Knots for Rope Pump Enable women by use of traditional knotting as construction method of the pushers on the rope, that fit loosely in the pump pipe.
	Water Emergency Control Aids and approaches that relate to regular recurring floods: to safeguard people, small husbandery and personal belongings and to assure access to clean water
	Hy2U for washing hands Washing hands made posssible where there is no piped water: at short notice, at little cost while using extremely little water.
	Better Roofs A roof construction should result in quality regarding all aspects of comfort as insulation against heat and cold, protect against fire, be durablility, offer cost in relation to local income and suitability for local manufacture
	HyBoX Most schools in Ethiopia and many other counties have no good facility for washing hands at their latrines. Impairing health, it leads to diharrea and sickness. The HyBox offers three Hy2U's for washing hands in a sturdy tamper-free box.
	Folding bed for traveling Field worker's equipment, personal belongings as well as a comportable bed fit into a back pack case. Two halve cases support the bed's netting structure.
	Kitchen unit for slum areas Compact kitchen unit offers the usual kitchen functions, a comfortable working position, a facility for washing clothes and an insulated box to keep hot pans warm.
	Birth chair Better tools to assist giving birth for poor rural women can lower the terrible high level of death during birth. This birth chair gives better body control to the mother and for the midwife a chair that is cheap and easy to take along.
	Green Walls Urban cultivating vegetables, flowers, fodder on trays that hang from the outside walls of one's house, Up to 8 m2 irrigated area automatically watered with waste water.
	ClothPump Pump little filthy (gray) water up from a container to filter down a growth bed for plants. A cloth strip runs in a closed loop, soaking up water and filth. that is squeezed out at the top.
	SlumHouse The here listed Demotech's design initiatives aim at more comfort and better living in the poorest quarters of urban areas.
	Load rack for bicycles, to be made on the spot A rack to take bulky and heavy loads to the market. To make and attach such a load rack is easy and can be done without cost.
	Pulley A pulley to ease irrigation of one's garden, its manufacture and sale is part of the local rural economy. It should be light weight, smoothly running and easy to repair.
	RopePump Locally made, reliable, effective and affordable water pump also from deeper wells. For private or communal use, for irrigation and for drive by hand, wind or motor.
	Bathroom with toilet Private sanitation for every family in a village, constructed during one single communal project, increases comfort, decreases child mortality
	NightReader, study-light with LED's NightReader is a small reading light, practical in the rich world, but indispensable for one billion Third World students.
	Cover to better the use of a well A heavy concrete ring is placed on top of a well. The open center can be closed and locked. Buds on the ring offer support for a pulley, rope guide or pump.
	WeldingWood Make connection between wooden parts strong, quick and easy. More complex wooden constructons become within reach of people with little recources.
	Construction toy Erector set-like smart interconnectors enable a child to create objects for play from sticks found around. thus carts and cots can be strong enough carry the weight of playing children.
	Plug box A safe provision for electric wiring and plugsboxes, to compensate for lacking or faulty electric wiring. It can be taken along when moving to another location.
	Exhibition Stand A stand building systems that is easy to erect, modular, to take advantage of available space. Eco look comes from untreated recycled wooden table tops and raw cotton cloth.
	Bookkeeping method Create transparency and participation in the finance of communal projects. Spcial forms make even complex bookkeeping easy to do and to check for errors or manipulation.
	The Demotech Lab No innovation without ample experiments. The Lab offers space for such experments, induce feedback from exhibits and is the setting for workshops.
	Sustainable housing and living Study on family size, standardized urban housing, built by its future users. Good use of sub-terrain and roof area. Innovative construction with clay and wood.
	IziGo system for urban public transport Single person cabins on a fine mesh rail net, above and under ground level, also for freight, reduce traffic density in the center, upgrade suburbs.
	DemoUnits mobile size Show banners high above the crowd in gatherings and demonstrations, attached to light weight constructioins of bamoo sticks and steel wires.
	Harvesting sheet metal Description of how sheet metal can be recuperated from a an oil barrel. How to cut, how to flatten and how to fold. Manfred can do it too!
	Harvesting Steel Wire How steel wire can be recuperated from the millions of car tires that litter this planet. Cut and clean steel wire for new use and get rubber strips out of it useful for many purposes.
	Workshop trainings Giving workshop has over the years been a successful ad-hoc activity. Now we develop it it as one of the Demotech core activities and organize our information here.
	BrickStove with container Wood feeds slowly from an overhead container into a small size very hot fire box masoned from bricks and clay. Mass of heat buffering stones therefore can be smaller.
	DemoUnits camping size Feed media's and public attention for the goal of a demonstration with clearly visible text on banners attached to high light weight frames
	DemoUnits exhibition size At neglectable cost NGO's can make an attractive exhibit of objects and text from modular units made from sticks and steel wires. Easy to build and take along.
	Manual on a string The process of learning the steps indicated in a manual works better when reading and looking on is done with a crowd of like minded people.
	Stencil board A small number of prints from a stencil with a simple hand tool can be made for a school class or for project instruction.
	What's new What is new in Demotech. A clickable logfile with the latest changes in Demotech's website. Illustrated reports on development with designs and their use in practice.

On this page you can find all the designs Demotech has to offer. When you click or rest on an icon you will get an explanation of its meaning. You can sort the designs on the following variables;