Breakthrough designs for ultra-low-cost products

It’s worth noting that not every designer dreams of catering to the luxury design market that Apple inhabits. Many designers want to solve the problems of the poorest people in the world. The question then becomes; how can I get something that does the same job for 1/10th 1/100th or 1/1000th of the cost?

This fabulous look at ingenuity in India tells you a lot about how to get things done well but cheaply. Be prepared to be moved as well as impressed; the artificial leg developed in India is something truly fantastic.

R. A. Mashelkar shares three stories of ultra-low-cost design from India that use bottom-up rethinking, and some clever engineering, to bring expensive products (cars, prosthetics) into the realm of the possible for everyone.