In some parts of the world, food waste is a big problem because people can’t see what’s on the back of the shelves in their fridge. As a solution, PRESENTA was developed – a refrigerator with a folding, rotating, modular storage system that pulls out so you can see everything without having to remove anything from your fridge.
However, this only solves one reason foods go to waste, and it only benefits those who can afford appliances and live in a region with reliable electricity. What about the people living in developing countries who don’t have access to such conveniences? Their food rots because it’s left out in the heat since they don’t even have a refrigerator.
For this demographic, Sprout Studios and Draper designed a low-energy mobile thermoelectric refrigerator that is cost-efficient to combat global refrigeration challenges. The unit can operate from off-grid power sources since lack of infrastructure (electricity, roads) is why many regions don’t have refrigerators.
India is the world’s largest producer of milk. But there are parts of rural India where they produce their own milk, but they can make any money from it without refrigeration and refrigerated transport. It’s hard for them to keep milk from perishing during storage alone, let alone transportation. If milk goes bad, it could become contaminated with airborne diseases like Listeria – a severe yet overlooked problem.
Draper’s innovative cooling system uses thermoelectric technology to allow villages in India to store their milk overnight and safely transport it up to 15 miles to pasteurization facilities. A cost and energy-efficient solution like this could be a game-changer for generating income.
The product is engineered to be durable. The chassis is made of anodized aluminum (which is strong but light to carry) and designed so the top-chilling unit can be removed for easy transport of the bottom refrigeration unit that holds the milk.
The chiller cools the milk using water and heat transfer. Excess warm water can be recycled for cleaning and bathing, which reduces further waste of resources.
The wheels are airless to avoid flats on rugged terrain. The wheel system utilizes a regenerative hub that powers a battery to keep things cool without the cooling system on the go.
The unit can be pulled comfortably by bike, motorcycle, or by hand, thanks to the multifunctional handle design.
The team said:
The pressing problems facing humankind and the planet are not well addressed by mass-market off-the-shelf products. Draper’s Global Challenges initiative applies our substantial engineering capabilities to solve these problems by looking beyond the technology to understand the problem space. The correct technology solution is rarely obvious. For example, designing the world’s most efficient refrigerator does nothing for those without reliable electricity.
Draper is a non-profit leading research and development organization made up of over 1,600 engineers and scientists. It specializes in advanced technology solutions for energy, healthcare, national security, and space exploration problems. And it has developed several projects focused on the technology being used to answer the unheard demographic questions – this mobile fridge is one of them.
Another refrigerator designed to work off the grid is Youmma’s solar-powered 100-liter fridge. It’s connected to a battery that can keep the unit running for a day and a half without sunlight. The company allows small businesses to pay it off day-by-day until they’ve covered the appliance’s cost. Once they own it, the best part is they have a fridge and electricity thanks to the solar panels and battery storage.
