Design Type:  World changing

Designer:  Ashish Deshpande

Brief: India has over 330 million cell phone subscribers. Cell phones acts as a primary source of communication for business, entertainment & emergency services both in urban & rural areas. Cell phones being economical have become the preferred mode of communication for the majority of India’s workforce who work in informal sector (street vendors, casual labor, unorganized farming, etc) & use it extensively. However, like other developing countries, India too faces huge power shortage. India has over 43% shortage in power supply. Charging of the phone becomes difficult due to constant power cuts. The need to find a reliable mode to charge becomes even more important to people who are constantly on the move. The design team along with a technology start up company went ahead to create Go - Mechanical Charger. Go-Mechanical Charger is first truly sustainable hand powered mobile phone charger. A portable, mobile-phone battery charger, empowering people in developing countries to charge their phone anytime, anywhere without the need of electricity. The product works on mechanical movement, generating enough power to charge a phone. Go-Mechanical Charger alleviates the problem of power shortage by providing enough power to charge a mobile phone through mechanical movement. By using either rolling (roll-on mode) or cranking (wind-up mode), the device taps power from your own self. The product can be used with a single hand even while the user is talking, thus increasing utility of the product. Being light & compact, it can be carried anywhere, thereby providing much needed convenience to travelers on the go. 1 min of rotating the handle gives about 3 min of talk time and about 30 min of stand-by time ensuring seamless connectivity. The adapters which come along with the product makes it flexible enough to be used with any handset, thus expanding the usage options. The product provides an affordable & sustainable solution for the times when someone acutely needs to use a cell phone and the phone battery is running out. Video of the product (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sZeH5P9y-M) Detail Description Context In India & developing countries, cell phones act as the primary source of communication for business, entertainment and emergency services. The country has over 330 million cell phone subscribers and this number is growing at a phenomenal speed. The majority of India's workforce is in the informal sector, such as street vending, casual labor, unorganized farming, construction labor, etc. These workers use cell phones extensively, but often have limited/no access to power for charging their handsets. There is 43% shortage in power supply with a 12% shortage during peak hours across India. Most regions in the country are badly affected by power shortages. In few parts of India, one may experiences power cuts ranging up to 16 hours a day. In such a situation, although the mobile service network is available, charging a cell phone become extremely difficult thus affecting business & personal life. For people who are constantly travelling, having a charged phone becomes a necessity inorder to stay connected with the loved ones. Without a dependable source of power on the go, one has to constantly search for places which have power. Challenge The design team working with a technology startup had to envision & develop a sustainable product that would empower cell phone users in developing countries to charge their handsets anytime, anywhere, without the need of electricity. Solution The team looked at the problem from multiple perspectives including that of a traveler, businessman, construction worker, truck driver, vegetable vendor, rickshaw driver and so on. The result was the understanding of emotions (anxiety, fear, confusion, helplessness) that people have to go through when they need to call someone but don’t have enough charge. Understanding of emotions paved way for the team to brainstorm ideas about desired feelings (convenience, being empowered) that the stakeholders would like to have at the time of need. By studying user behavioral patterns, team obtained an understanding of the conditions under which such product will be used. Ethnographic research identified five key need areas which included low cost, rugged, light & compact, ability to be used by both left handed & right handed person and most important, the ability of speak while using the powering device. One of the key innovations in the product is a unique roll on wheel which lets the user start charging while using the phone with the other hand. Conventional hand crank chargers need both hands. This is a major user advantage as the single hand operation frees the other hand. Clean concave and symmetrical form was infused enabling a comfortable and intuitive anti slip grip for both left hand and right operation. Adapters for different brands of mobile phones were offered with the basic product thereby expanding the charging to any mobile handset. The charger slips easily into shirt and trouser pocket making it convenient to carry to work. Prototypes were tested with the potential users (construction workers, fruits vendors, rickshaw drivers, bus traveler’s) which optimized the designs. To aid the startup in achieving quick breakeven, the team designed the product with a minimum number of parts thereby ensuring low production costs. Benefits: Go Mechanical charger is a portable, cost effective, easy to use handset charger that empowers people in developing countries to always stay connected. Following are the benefits of the product: • Single hand operation with dual charge system (Roll on-quick & hand cranking-long charge) • Economical ($7 for the base product plus $1 for adapters) • Light & compact (product can be carried anywhere & fits easily into one’s pocket) • Rugged shape and construction • Environmentally friendly (made of recyclable materials) • Convenient (clean conclave & symmetrical form enabling comfortable & anti slip grip for both right & left hand operation) The product has gained wide acceptance in India & since its introduction the key target users of product have expanded beyond the people working in informal sector to include working housewives, college students, etc thus providing the necessary sense of convenience, confidence & unlimited connectivity.