Bloomberg News reporter Ira Boudway highlights the perfect example of a low tech (and low cost) innovation idea from this past week’s Bloomberg Businessweek magazine.
To diagnose anemia, a condition that can signal the presence of diseases such as HIV, doctors need a centrifuge to separate blood samples into red blood cells and plasma. Lila Kerr and Lauren Theis modified a salad spinner to do the job in areas without electricity. The Rice University undergraduates created the device as part of their coursework in introductory bioengineering and field-tested it this summer in Ecuador, Swaziland, and Malawi. “The most frequent response” to the gadget, says Kerr, “is ‘well, of course!’ After all, a salad spinner is a centrifuge.”
Here’s the takeaway: In a world where high tech gadgets seem to gather the lion’s share of innovation publicity, it’s nice to see game-changers like this get highlighted. Congratulations to Lila Kerr and Lauren Theis for their innovative idea. And kudos to reporter Ira Boudway for bringing it to our attention.
