---
description: Projects with a similar goals or methods.
---

# Inspirational projects

## Brick press for Africa

![https://www.levs.nl/media/images/thumb\_constrain\_1136\_1136/levsnb-handpers01.jpg](https://www.levs.nl/media/images/thumb_constrain_1136_1136/levsnb-handpers01.jpg)

Instead of sending people in need bricks to make buildings, these students (commissioned by [LEVS architects](https://www.levs.nl/index.php?tag=afrika) and the HvA engineering major) created a tool to make bricks. The people of Mali can use their local resources to create these bricks that can be dried in the sun.

Not only did they make the tool easy enough to be shipped to Mali, they provided a non-verbal manual, since it's hard to translate the indigenous languages, and some people are even illiterate.

{% embed url="https://www.levs.nl/actueel/#!studenten-ontwikkelen-handpers-voor-leemstenen" %}

## StepNpull

{% embed url="https://youtu.be/hbqgAmF7teo" %}

A product that gives toilet users the possibility to open a door without touching it. What I like about this solution is that it's simple and universal. You can still use the traditional way of using the door if you want to.

![https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5628ed91e4b022575dc91d06/1583523130673-KYNXUKLM0SH41TPQSTNT/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kJFjiAAEKQOxhtR6kyGixEZZw-zPPgdn4jUwVcJE1ZvWQUxwkmyExglNqGp0IvTJZamWLI2zvYWH8K3-s\_4yszcp2ryTI0HqTOaaUohrI8PI12Xv1MuLgQ9zkl8N7Hhw2whP68k-4drIwE6p6xubmbcKMshLAGzx4R3EDFOm1kBS/Hands+Free+%26+foot+Operated+Door+Opener+-+StepNpull.jpg?format=1000w](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5628ed91e4b022575dc91d06/1583523130673-KYNXUKLM0SH41TPQSTNT/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kJFjiAAEKQOxhtR6kyGixEZZw-zPPgdn4jUwVcJE1ZvWQUxwkmyExglNqGp0IvTJZamWLI2zvYWH8K3-s_4yszcp2ryTI0HqTOaaUohrI8PI12Xv1MuLgQ9zkl8N7Hhw2whP68k-4drIwE6p6xubmbcKMshLAGzx4R3EDFOm1kBS/Hands+Free+%26+foot+Operated+Door+Opener+-+StepNpull.jpg?format=1000w)

{% embed url="https://www.stepnpull.com/" %}

## Self-sanitizing door handle

![https://www.jamesdysonaward.org/Document/bc1e938d-f9d7-470b-9238-5b32f5ce5b1b/whatsapp-image-2019-07-08-at-13908-pm.jpeg](https://www.jamesdysonaward.org/Document/bc1e938d-f9d7-470b-9238-5b32f5ce5b1b/whatsapp-image-2019-07-08-at-13908-pm.jpeg)

The inspiration for this design was the 2003 SARS outbreak in Hong Kong, which unfortunately killed many citizens. I think this is an amazing idea, but it is not feasible to apply this design on every door in a short term. It requires a power supply for every door, has to be installed professionally and is relatively expensive. What i'm looking for in this project is a quick fix. Maybe this might be a valuable investment if we don't find a cure for the virus soon.

## ApolloBVM ventilation automatization

![](http://oedk.rice.edu/resources/Pictures/ApolloBVMpictures/ApolloBVM_6590.JPG)

> The ApolloBVM is an automated bag valve mask (BVM) device utilizing off-the-shelf components to provide safe and continuous hospital-grade mechanical ventilation for COVID-19 patients on an open-source basis. The ApolloBVM is a controllable, automated add-on solution to the existing and widely available Bag Valve Mask. The device compresses the BVM with a mechanical system that is able to provide consistent and accurate ventilation with positive-pressure. This solution exists within the top range of high-acuity limited-operability (HALO) ventilator solutions with an a priori design to produce volume and pressure cycled ventilation that includes positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and enriched oxygen sources. - [Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen](http://oedk.rice.edu/apollobvm)

What I love about this project is that the developers used existing devices and automatized it with relatively accessible consumer technology. They already went through a few iterations, and currently (21 April 2020) have a version 2 available. They have CNC templates available for free, and even though it requires a laser cutter and a 3d printer, I think this project has great accessibility. It's a perfect "last resort" product now that there's a great demand for ventilators.

{% embed url="https://youtu.be/oLQ5bXakWq8" %}
Version 0 of the Valve mask.
{% endembed %}

{% embed url="http://oedk.rice.edu/apollobvm" %}
