The Camel Fridge Project

Engineering, Product Design, User Research

Project Overview

Our goal was to build a system designed for health care workers, typically funded by governments or NGOs, who serve rural and nomadic communities in remote areas.

In particular, we wanted to help these health care workers expand their offerings to include temperature-sensitive medicines such as vaccines.

My Role

I worked on this project as a member of Princeton University's Global Development Network (GDN).

As a team lead, I supervised 5-7 students, documented the research process, and maintained continuity as we iteratively tested prototypes across multiple field sites.

The core team also included a local engineer and a member of the Pasadena Art Center College of Design (Design Matters International Initiatives).

TDR Case Study Cover Photo: This is a photo that I took from one of our field tests. It shows a camel staring into the camera, its lips turned up as if in a smile. On its back is a saddle made out of bamboo. There is a solar panel on top of the saddle, holding a small refrigerator and car battery. This is what would allow health care workers to bring temperature-sensitive medications, such as life-saving vaccines, to communities that cannot be reached by car.

Global Development Network
(Princeton University)

Team Lead, Field Tester

Jun 2008 - Mar 2010

In some of the world's most remote regions, communities face a lot of difficulty in receiving medical treatment due to harsh environments, low population densities, and high poverty rates. As we would learn, many health workers meet this challenge by traveling directly to their patients through mobile clinics.

Because of the extreme conditions, sometimes these trips have to be taken by foot or beast of burden. This prevents clinics from bringing little more than dry penicillin. Life saving drugs and vaccines, which need to be stored at temperatures between 2-8°C, have little chance of surviving the journey.

This is the story of how a team of students, designers, and engineers worked with local villagers and health care workers and used solar technology to build a system to transport vaccines to remote corners of the world.

In the Media:
‍

Full Case Study

TDR Case Study Photo 1: This is a photo that I took from one of our field tests. It shows a camel staring into the camera, its lips turned up as if in a smile. On its back is a saddle made out of bamboo. There is a solar panel on top of the saddle, holding a small refrigerator and car battery. This is what would allow health care workers to bring temperature-sensitive medications, such as life-saving vaccines, to communities that cannot be reached by car. The image is titled "The Camel Fridge Project" and has subtext indicating that the main themes of the project are "Off-grid Solar" and "Technology for Developing Regions".

TDR Case Study Photo 2: Background and project overview.

TDR Case Study Photo 3: A photo that I took of community members in Ethiopia watching our lead engineer assemble the bamboo camel saddle.

TDR Case Study Photo 6: Photos of camel herders that I took from our field testing. The first photo shows a man in Laikipia, Kenya holding a walking stick behind his back. The second photo shows two teenagers in Afar, Ethiopia holding hands while looking directly at the camera.

TDR Case Study Photo 7: Overview of the community.

TDR Case Study Photo 8: Summary of our needs assessment.

TDR Case Study Photo 9: A photo of the 4x4 that one of our partners, the Nomadic Communities Trust, used to delivery health care for nomadic communities in rural Kenya.

TDR Case Study Photo 10: Summary of system requirements.

TDR Case Study Photo 11: Summary of the inspiration for our design.

TDR Case Study Photo 13: A photo from one of prototype tests using camels at the Bronx Zoo in New York. Initially we designed the saddle out of aluminum as we wanted something large enough to hold multiple solar panels.

TDR Case Study Photo 14: Summary of our iterative design process.

TDR Case Study Photo 15: Summary of our switch from an aluminum saddle to bamboo, following our first round of prototype testing.

TDR Case Study Photo 16: Photos that I took from the second phase of prototype testing at the Bronx Zoo, following our switch to bamboo saddles.

TDR Case Study Photo 17: Field Testing overview.

TDR Case Study Photo 18: A photo that I took of team members assembling the bamboo saddle in Kenya.

TDR Case Study Photo 19: Photos that I took from our field testing in Kenya and Ethiopia. The first photo shows us measuring the camel humps because we discovered that the local camels were significantly smaller than the ones we worked with at the zoo, meaning our dimensions had to be altered and adjusted! The second photo shows team members assembling the saddle. The third photo shows the team working with the community to load the saddle onto the camel. The fourth photo shows team members walking with the camel in a remote setting to test the balance and fit of the design.

TDR Case Study Photo 20: A photo that I took showing a camel caravan, with the second camel carrying our bamboo saddle.

TDR Case Study Photo 21: Summary of feedback from our field testing.

TDR Case Study Photo 22: A photo that I took of community members watching our team assemble the camel saddle. One of the community members is holding a gun, reflecting some of the challenges faced by these communities living in environments where resources are scarce.

TDR Case Study Photo 23: Summary of the final design features

TDR Case Study Photo 24: Photos of the revised bamboo saddle design following our field testing