The Waterwheel | Hacker News Reader

The Waterwheel

wellowater.org

14 pointsmikek6 comments

Reminds me of the "hippo roller" http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippo_water_roller That was invented in 1997, basically the same thing, but appears larger, plus with the simpler design is probably cheaper.

Edit to add: it's actually one of the reasons I am majoring in mechanical engineering, completly restarting from the ground up is fine, but seeing a weak link and improving it is often far more cost effective. I can just imagine someone seeing a barrel fall on its side and roll down a hill and their eyes lighting up.

Comparing the two, the hippo roller seems to look like it would puncture easily, while the waterwheel seems to have a bit of a protective outer layer.

Pretty cool concept, i really like things like this. Small and incremental changes that improve the daily life of real people.

We dont always have to go after huge problems with complicated sweeping changes that are hard to implement and use for the people that need help the most, sometimes just making a small improvement can make a larger impact on a persons life.

I like how they didnt think the solution was to have universal plumbing in India, a mammoth task, which would cause huge disruption, be costly and difficult, instead carrying 3x - 5x more water capacity is a huge improvement in someones life that has to make journeys to a well every day.

What other things can we do like this?

> We dont always have to go after huge problems with complicated sweeping changes that are hard to implement

I heard a story on NPR about a month ago, about a company that had designed a soccer ball that stored energy from being played with, and could power a lamp. However, the design was poor and the balls fell apart within a month. And as it happens, the cost of providing the ball ($60) was the same as hooking up a house to the existing electrical grid.

http://www.wnyc.org/story/impoverished-kids-love-the-soccer-...

Looks like a nice design. Does anyone know what "cap-in-cap" refers to in the sentence "The WaterWheel’s cap-in-cap design prevents recontamination at the point of use"?

Pretty sure it means that over the actual water opening cap, there is a second cap protecting the inner cap and the opening itself. This means that the outer cap might get dirty on the way between home and water, but the opening itself doesn't, significantly reducing the risk of any dirt being washed in when filling in, or taking out, the water. Without it assorted dust and grime falling on the water opening cap in transit might over time work itself into the winding and much more easily get inside the container.

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