Cannon Design Blog

Last July, I posted about how the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has decided it was time to reinvent the toilet and challenged 22 universities to invent a waterless, hygienic toiler that is safe and affordable for people in the developing world without connection to a sewer. The need for the new toilet is obvious in the Gates Foundation’s eyes as 2.6 billion people in the world lack access to safe and affordable sanitation.

Gates hosted the Reinvent the Toilet Fair in Seattle, Wash. where earlier this week, they revealed the prototypes of the eight finalists. The winning toilet came from the California Institute of Technology, which received $100,000 for its model of a solar-powered toilet that generates hydrogen and electricity. Other winning designs came from the UK’s Loughborough University (a toilet that produces biological charcoal, minerals and clean water) and also the University of Toronto (a toilet that sanitizes human waste).

Mashable.com released a full list of the winners and several photos. I chose one of Gates looking at the winning toilet from Caltech below. Kudos to the Gates Foundation for issuing the challenge and all those who submitted proposals – I remain inspired by the work of the Gates Foundation and the incredible creativity that stems from our global education institutions.

Bill Gates takes a look at the winning design. (Mashable.com)

Cynthia Hilliers - 17 Aug 2012

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