Off to Nairobi

We were all very excited for Ry to be taking the first trip over to Nairobi, Kenya – but one of the most important tasks to do before he left was to find a suitable way of transporting the 3D printer.  After some research we decided on a Pelican Cargo Case which uses an o-ring to seal the case making it watertight and dust proof, whilst the engineering-grade polymer and cell-core construction are crush-proof.  So along with some added foam and a ‘fragile’ sticker we hoped that it would create the protection needed to get the printer to Kenya in one piece – and this proved to be the case.

On the second day after arriving in Kenya Ry was invited to present to the Horn of Africa regional WASH meeting organised by UNHCR (UN High Commission for Refugees) and IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross).  Representatives from 7 different agencies were present (See the list at the bottom of the page) and so this presented an ideal opportunity for Ry to explain the benefits and challenges of the technology.  The presentation generated a lot of interest that was mainly directed towards the engineering aspects of the finished product.  How robust was it? Answer:  The test piece printed during the presentation passed the ‘drop test’ with flying colours!!  How long did the pieces take to ‘cure’?  Answer: no time at all!! As a result of these post-presentation discussions the audience which was both both critical and yet supportive, left the meeting with a much fuller  appreciation of the potentially game-changing nature of the technology. To quote one participant:

“Initiatives like this are key to the innovation needed in the humanitarian sector and which is needed more often, however this sort of innovation is usually directed to the private sector.”

The excitement and interest continued as Ry set up in his new office in the normally quiet Oxfam HQ. All levels of staff from cleaners to the organisation’s head would pop in to see what all the hype was about. As a result, Ry was giving a daily ‘show and tell’ during which, to use his own words, “This is where I first experienced the ‘light bulb moment’ as the small audience became lost in thought as they tried to grasp the implications of this technology. First there was wonder, shortly followed by scepticism. However, after seeing the finished items that were being fabricated during the presentation, the scepticism quickly reverted back to a state of wonderment.”

3D Printing Box

One of the best light bulb moments came from an observer late into Ry’s trip who noted:

“Given the nature of conflict areas, goods can often become greatly expensive or unobtainable due to blockades by the militia along the supply line. This technology offers something previously inconceivable, goods can be delivered digitally with no interception or payments (bribes) needed. This is a service that carries some major implications to the distribution of goods in conflict areas.”

Whilst, as researchers, we were fully aware of the theoretical benefits of the technology, such as providing the ability to reduce logistic lead times dramatically, we had never envisaged this particular benefit.  However, it serves to reinforce our belief in the value of this technology and its benefit to humanitarian agencies.  In short, we look forward to many more light bulb moments from observers and ourselves as we continue our research!

List of NGO’s present at the WASH meeting:

UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund)
UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)
IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross)
Kenya Red Cross
Oxfam UK
World Vision International
NRC (Norwegian Refugee Council)