In order for a product or idea to make a sustainable impact in the world, it should be designed with the specific environment or setting in mind. With the Universal Anaesthesia Machine (UAM), we take pride in knowing that it was designed to function in any setting; and in particular, hospitals with unreliable electricity and compressed oxygen.  Read more about the Birth of the UAM here.

We are seeing more and more solutions that are being developed to make an impact on the world and especially for low-resource environments. Below is a (nowhere-near-exhaustive) list of just 10 technologies designed to function in challenging environments or to solve challenges unique to low-resource settings. Please note, while we think these technologies below are great innovations, Gradian Health Systems does not endorse any of the below products or companies. 

We would love to hear from you if there are any innovations you think we should add to this list. Feel free to comment below or email us at info@gradianhealth.org. You can also check some of these out on Gradian’s “Technology Makes An Impact” Pinterest page here.

10 Technologies Making An Impact

  1. Daktari CD4 A portable point-of-care system that brings an essential blood test to any part of the world.
  2. The WaterWheel (Wellowater.org) An affordable, high-quality and convenient solution for carrying and storing up to 50 liters of water at once.
  3. Free Wheelchair Mission A highly adaptable, all-purpose wheel chair that was specifically designed for use on rugged terrain.
  4. Everwarm Incubator a low-cost and portable infant incubator thoughtfully designed to address the challenge of infant hypothermia and child mortality.  Also check out the Embrace.
  5. Eniware Portable Sterilizer (EPS) A portable and lightweight nitrogen dioxide gas sterilization system consisting of a case equipped with a simple valve that will sterilize a wide range of medical equipment and requires no external energy source.
  6. PAU’s Tensiometer (Columbia Water Center) A small, color-coded device that measures the amount of water in soil and is saving rice farmers in India countless amounts of water.
  7. ReMotion Knee (D-Rev) A high-performance, low-cost and lightweight knee joint for amputees.
  8. G3Box Steel shipping containers converted into fully equipped medical clinics.
  9. Sanergy A low-cost network of sanitation centers in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, franchised by local entrepreneurs that also collects the waste it produces and processes it into electricity and fertilizer.
  10. d.light S300 A solar lantern designed with a bright light lasting up to 16 hours and equipped with a solar panel to charge your mobile device.

And we must also add to this list the Lifebox pulse oximeter. This compact and essential technology used in ORs around the world (and many that Gradian works in) has improved the safety of anesthesia delivery by over 2,000 anesthesia providers around the world. You can see how Gradian has worked with Lifebox here, here and here.

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