Solar Powered Laptop/Satellite Link for Rural African Use
ECE 480 SENIOR CAPSTONE PROJECT - TEAM 3
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Many people in rural Africa are without computer and network access. Schools may not have access for educational use, and farmers may get less than the top prices for their crops by taking them to the wrong market, for example. Network access could remedy such problems, but many people are in locations with no electrical service or network connectivity. Lenovo is providing a grant to support development of a system, based on their laptop, to allow charging the battery using solar power. Our team will work with a coordinated student team from MSU’s Dept. of Telecommunication, Informations Studies and Media to design satellite access to the Internet from the machine, again powered by solar energy from the system designed by our team.
Goals and Benefits
The goal of this project is to develop a prototype for a rugged solar-based Internet kiosk for deployment in rural Africa. From an outreach and social value perspective, this is a project to improve the quality of life for the target population. Internet access can open up new commercial, educational, health, and social opportunities. As such, it is consistent with the University's mission to convey knowledge and apply research for the benefit of the public. For Lenovo, it is consistent with its corporate social responsibility goals.
From a research perspective, this project provides a seed for a larger project to deploy Internet access in developing countries and study the social and economic value of Internet access in these regions. For the Michigan State University team, the initial funding and work will help justify future grants from other organizations. For Lenovo, the continuing research on this project will ensure that it has a continuing impact, maximizing the social value of its participation.