MIT Solve

Solution Overview & Team Lead Details

Solution name.

Knowledge For Everyone

Provide a one-line summary of your solution.

Distributing cheap, hand-made e-readers to remote communities

What specific problem are you trying to solve?

Low literacy levels are a problem in Australia, as it is in many other countries. A study conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in 2017-18 found that more than 5 million people in Australia (around 20% of the population) had low literacy levels and almost 3 million (around 12% of the population) had very low literacy levels.

These figures are based on self-reported data and may be underestimating the true number of people with low literacy levels. Factors that can contribute to low literacy levels include low income, lack of access to education, poor health, and cultural or linguistic barriers.

Many organizations like the government, non-profit organizations and NGOs, are working to address this problem through programs and initiatives that focus on literacy education and support for children, young people, and adults.

My goal is to try and address the lack of access to education factor in Australia. If all works well, the project could be scaled to other remote towns/villages in countries like India where a lot of people are wanting to study, but don't have access to resources.

Main factors contributing to the problem in Urban Australia opposed to Rural areas with no access, are distractions. Kids, Teenagers and Adults are all addicted to the dopamine hits their phones give them. Reading, while beneficial in the long term, doesn't make their dopamine levels surge as much as clicking on an Instagram reel does. E-readers tackle this issue by completely getting rid of distractions, and allowing people to focus on reading and reading only.

What is your solution?

I used to be addicted to my phone for a long time. I downloaded E-reader applications on my phone only for me to move them to a folder and never open it again. Social media was the center of attention whenever I unlocked my phone. But then, I got a kindle for my birthday which changed everything. Now, kindles are quite expensive, and not a viable option for giving away.

This is where my product comes in. I will be using cheap E-ink displays paired with cheap microcontrollers/arm based computers with my code embedded in order to make my own e-reader devices. The housing for the e-readers would be 3-D printed, along with a compatible battery attached inside.

The best thing about e-reader devices opposed to phones is their battery life. A single charge can last upto 3 months on certain custom built modules. And even after the battery runs out, the e-ink screen's most important feature is its ability to preserve what was last on the screen for upto 10 years. Meaning the screen will always continue to display whatever was last shown on the screen before the battery ran out for 10 years.

Who does your solution serve? In what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Firstly and most importantly, the main goal of my project is to improve the lives of people who don't have access to any sort of devices. In remote areas, people don't have access to any sort of technology much less e-readers. I aim to provide such people access to e-reader technology.

Secondly, most people living in urban areas, be it kids, teenagers or adults are addicted to their phones. E-readers provide a relief from that addiction and improve peoples' lives overall. Most e-readers in the market are expensive, and not everyone can afford them. I aim to provide e-readers to these people for free.

How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?

I am the only team member, and I will be doing everything myself. I am uniquely positioned to be able to make this solution since I've experienced everything myself. I was addicted to technology, constantly looking for those dopamine hits. E-reader technology helped me get rid of that addiction, and develop a new habit. I've worked in various hackathons before, and know what works well when pitching your idea and what doesn't. I am a representative of what I serve as I've seen urban and rural life back in Delhi, India where I'm originally from and urban life here in Australia. In both places, knowledge and access to reading sources is a major issue.

What steps have you taken to understand the needs of the population you want to serve?

I asked around my school how much time people spend on their phones opposed to reading, and the results were shocking to say the least. Most people in my school, aged 15-17 spent 5-8 hours a day on their phones, 70% of which was contributed by social media. While only a few said they read once a day. I also asked if they ever tried e-reader applications, and surprisingly, a few people did. However, their main argument was notifications popping up and distracting them while they were reading. Leading to them to stop reading completely and getting bored of those e-reader applications.

Which aspects of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Improving learning opportunities and outcomes for learners across their lifetimes, from early childhood on (Learning)

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Concept: An idea being explored for its feasibility to build a product, service, or business model based on that idea.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team located?

Melbourne VIC, Australia

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Gauravjeet Singh