Gone are the days of ambitious development projects that don’t take into consideration what happens when a product or service don’t work out the way they were intended, leaving behind piles of broken computers, water pumps and dreams.
Caltech’s “toilet of the future” may be the sustainable solution to the growing sanitation problem in developing countries. Funded by the Gates Foundation, this solar-powered toilet uses a sensor system that can be connected through a mobile phone to identify problems. This is similar to the water pump system being installed in Rwanda by Living Water International which we reported on a few months ago.
When there is a problem with the toilet, a sensor will send a text message to a technician and tell them how to repair it.
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