Understanding the impacts of digital design and fabrication projects in resource constrained settings for delivering humanitarian and development aid

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Research background The emergence of new digital fabrication tools is radically changing the way products are designed and manufactured. Recently the humanitarian and development sector has become interested in how digital fabrication tools - 3D printers, laser cutters and CNC mills - can help to address the world's most pressing problems. The benefits of these technologies have been widely reported in the context of high-resource settings, however there is little understanding about their use in more resource constrained settings. ObjectivesThe proposed research seeks to understand how organisations are using digital design and fabrication tools in low-resource settings to address some of the most urgent challenges. It aims to:(i) describe how organisations use digital design and fabrication tools to solve humanitarian and development problems in low-resource settings(ii) explore the challenges and enablers of using digital design and fabrication tools in low-resource settings and, (iii) to evaluate the drivers of socially sustainable design when using digital design and fabrication tools in low-resource settings. ApproachSo far, an exploratory study has been conducted consisting of a systematic literature review and semi-structured interviews with expert practitioners. The results have led to the development of an initial framework to identify the benefits, challenges and enablers of using digital design and fabrication tools in low-resource settings. The study highlighted a lack of understanding about the social sustainability of digital design and fabrication led interventions. To address this, the next phase of research will evaluate the short-term and long-term impacts of using digital design and fabrication tools in the humanitarian and development sector. It is intended to conduct in-depth longitudinal case studies across a small number of projects that are using digital fabrication tools in humanitarian and development projects in the medical sector. Case studies will capture different stakeholder perspectives, including the aid givers (NGOs, research or government organisations) and the beneficiaries.Novel contentFor the first time, this research explores how digital design and fabrication is being used in low-resource settings to address humanitarian and development challenges. This research considers the role of innovative production processes (a EPSRC priority) in resource constrained environments. The research is also consistent with the EPSRC's priority on new digital ventures as it explores the interface between digital technology and society.