Read More: Promising Prototypes to Watch in 2025
Each year we list “promising prototypes” recommended by our global expert networks. This year we also asked the online community for suggestions and offered three. These are the people’s choices for promising prototypes to watch in 2025.
H2Energies’ Hydrostove1
Photo courtesy of Leeroy Takudzwa Magora
The Zimbabwe-based energy startup H2ENERGIES is developing a hydrogen-powered cookstove they call Hydrostove1. The team plans to distribute Hydrostove1 in remote communities still reliant on firewood for cooking, Chief Engineer Leeroy Takudzwa Magora told Engineering for Change.
“The team aims to overcome infrastructure barriers to the distribution of LPG to these communities as well as address shortcomings of PV-solar cookers by eliminating battery requirements and reducing the number of solar panels required,” Mr. Magora says.
The Solar Blanket
Photo courtesy of Mireille Steinhage
Solar Blanket is a blanket heated through solar power.
“It addresses the needs of people who struggle to heat their homes, due to the increasing cost of living and soaring energy prices, as well as those who are homeless or in need of emergency aid,” Mireille Steinhage, the blanket’s designer, told Engineering for Change.
The product, still in development, merges a blanket with a solar panel and a battery with a projected price of £150 (USD $190). The plan is to sell the blankets to charities that work with homeless people and other vulnerable populations, then to pivot sales to outdoor enthusiasts. Retail sales can subsidize sales to charities and others in need.
“Given the substantial and affluent nature of this market –the European outdoor accessories market was valued at over €481m in 2021– it represents an ideal target group for the product. By reserving a percentage of these sales for charitable aid, we aim to donate blankets to charities, allowing the purchasing power of this group to help others in need,” Ms. Steinhage says.
The design is informed by research among vulnerable communities in Jaywick in Essex (UK).
“This experience provided valuable insights into their needs, enabling me to develop a product specifically tailored to their lifestyle,” Ms/ Steinhage says.
Solar Blanket Website: www.mireillesteinhage.eu/solar-blanket
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- Photo courtesy of Mireille Steinhage
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- Photos courtesy of Mireille Steinhage
The Portable Emergency Cash Dispenser by Susan Davis
Photo: Susan Davis
The Portable Emergency Cash Dispenser (CASH) is a secure, lightweight device designed to provide rapid cash assistance in disaster zones and during humanitarian crises.
“It integrates biometric verification and mobile connectivity to dispense funds directly to beneficiaries, ensuring immediate access to financial resources without the logistical delays of traditional aid. The device can be constructed locally, is solar-powered with a backup battery, operates via satellite or mobile networks, and is designed for deployment by non experts,” Susan Davis, the prototype’s designer, told E4C.
Ms. Davis is a philanthropic advisor with a background sustainable global development who made this “tongue-in-cheek” prototype to raise awareness about real issues in the sector. Namely, that no-strings cash is a research-backed solution shown to effectively help people in underserved communities, disaster survivors and other vulnerable populations. The Cash Dispenser is also a reminder to donors that the next new gadget may not be as effective as the less glamorous, “boring” interventions that are necessary for development, Ms. Davis says.
