Development of sensor based evaluation methodologies for developing world products

Abstract

Often consumers in the developed world have a wide range of options available to them when considering a certain product family, such as a smartphone. The plethora of options is in large part a result of the degree to which the supply chains have advanced in the developed world. Organizations such as Consumer Reports have distilled information about the products available to consumer in the form of comparative ratings charts to help them make a purchasing decision. These product evaluations provide valuable information on the quality of a product, but are limited to the perspective of the developed world consumer. In contrast, there are many barriers in providing a product to a consumer in the developing world. A multitude of poverty alleviating products have been developed, but few have been successful. The Comprehensive Initiative on Technology Evaluation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology seeks to adapt product evaluation methodologies such as those employed by Consumer Reports to evaluate developing world products. This thesis documents the challenges in adapting the methodology and demonstrates that in order to create a successful product in the developing world, aspects of design, manufacturing, distribution, and consumer adoption must be assessed. A biomass fueled improved cookstove case study is presented to explain these four stages and how they may be evaluated. In addition, a sensor based method and neural network based processing algorithm is presented as a cost-effective and accurate way to gauge adoption of improved cookstoves.