· one need, a bunch of solutions ·
While travelling, I’m always intrigued on how different cultures meet their needs through unique objects.
The solutions that cover a need are conditioned by the available resources in the region, ability to industrialise, purchasing power, etc. In developing countries with handicraft tradition and less resources, people stretch their minds to come out with the smartest and simplest solutions. Some examples from my last trip in Brazil:
A bottle opener made with a wood stick and a screw
A carriage puller made of the motion parts of an old VW Beetle
A 'mechanically distributed switch' for stop request (also seen in old buses in Spain), instead of the most extended 'electrically distributed buttons'
Sometimes an entire region/country/continent doesn’t use an specific tool, perhaps because the need do not exist. Then, a big opportunity for some, a big ethics issue for others: “create the need, sell the solution”.