An industry giant, a US university and an influential non-profit design company make for three inspiring perspectives on the role of technology in global development. Their talks were not the most highly attended at ASME’s Advanced Design and Manufacturing Impact Forum this year in Bufalo, New York. But they were inspiring and they deserve much more attention. Fortunately, they have been recorded. The speakers’ insight could be valuable to students, product designers and engineers who hope to make a difference in the world.
Bob Hauck at GE Healthcare in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, sees the goal of development as the leveling out of technological progress around the world. There’s no reason a GE manufacturing plant could not open in southern Africa, he says. Chris Mattson at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, takes us on the journey from products that were well engineered but poorly designed to products that were developed in sync with the consumers who use them. And Samuel Hamner at D-Rev in San Francisco, California, jokes that he’s a recovering academic and tells his story of designing products that allow impoverished amputees to walk again.
The first hour includes the three presentations. The second hour is a panel discussion with questions from the real-world and online audiences. There is no cost, but ASME asks for a sign-in. Watch them here:
If you are interested in real-world examples and case studies from industry, academia and social ventures, you should see DEMAND: ASME Global Development Review. And please let us know your impressions of the presentations in the comments below.
