OneDollarGlasses technicians can be trained in a fortnight, although it can take two sessions to perfect their expertise. Photograph: Martin Aufmuth
It took Martin Aufmuth three years to bring to fruition his concept to generate a device that can make low cost glasses.
Aufmuth, who won prime prize at the Siemens Stiftung award in October, explained his OneDollarGlasses venture was inspired by the book Out of Poverty by Paul Polak, which he read in 2009.
Aufmuth, who teaches maths and physics in Erlangen, Germany, is a huge fan of Polak’s idea of developing useful options that harness the power of markets to lessen poverty. “It showed me the relevance of innovations that sell for about $ one [60p],” he says.
Costing only $ one to make, the glasses will be offered for in between $ two to $ seven, so OneDollarGlasses opticians can earn their living from them. The spectacles are created by hand on a specially developed bending and milling machine, which requires no electrical energy. Virtually servicing-free of charge, it is made to function in the most remote villages. All the products fits into a wooden box with outer dimensions of 30cm x 30cm x 30cm.
The light-weight and flexible frames are produced from rustproof, hypoallergenic 1mm-spring-steel wire,and the polished, unbreakable lenses are made of polycarbonate with a hardened surface.
The OneDollarGlasses optician has a box with 25 lenses (manufactured in China) varying in strength from -six. to +6. diopters in methods of .5 diopters (a diopter is a unit of measurement of the optical energy of a lens).
Polycarbonate is a lot much more resistant than glass or resin, which are typically utilized in glasses. The lenses, which have notches, can be simply clicked into the frame by hand. Since the glasses – individually adjustable and virtually unbreakable – are lightweight, they do not demand standard nose bridges.
Technicians can be educated in just 14 days, despite the fact that it can consider two sessions to excellent their skills. Eye testing is carried out with a straightforward chart that can be connected to a wall or a tree. Three to four people can operate one manufacturing unit to make 5,000-ten,000 pairs of glasses a yr, Aufmuth says. Following a pilot undertaking in Uganda, Aufmuth and his teams have been instruction individuals in Rwanda since April.
The device, like the bending machine, optical equipment and material for the very first 500 pairs of glasses, costs €2,400 (£2010). Aufmuth realises the startup expenses are unaffordable in target nations, so they are covered fully by donations.
In accordance to the World Well being Organisation (WHO), about 150million people suffer from defective eyesight that could be rectified with a pair of glasses.
“Extreme poverty does not only imply hunger, but also illness, hopelessness, missed opportunities in existence,” Aufmuth says on his site. “Many of them can not go to college for that explanation, can not work and can – as a consequence – not provide for themselves and their families. This is what I want to alter.”
Specs appeal: German physics instructor brings cost-effective glasses to Rwanda | Mark Tran
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