Appropriate Technology in an Introductory Engineering Design Experience

EGR 200, Introduction to Engineering Design, provides transfer students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham an introductory engineering experience, including a 5-week design project. This year, the authors led a project that involved the design of crutches for use in a developing nation that featured the use of “appropriate technology” regarding materials and construction techniques. The target country was Zambia, Africa, which is one of the poorest countries in the world. In Zambia, the majority of the population lives on less than $2 USD per day [1]. Lack of medical facilities and doctors leads to many serious health issues. Infection often leads to amputation, creating a need for low cost crutches.