Dean Kamen, one of the most innovative inventors in recent times, has designed breakthrough wheelchairs that can go up and down stairs and is the man behind the two wheeled Segway electric scooter.
Kamen's newest venture is two small washing machine-size units for use in small rural communities in developing countries. One unit takes any kind of dirty water and turns it into clean water. Communities with an affordable source of clean water can avoid a whole host of debilitating diseases.
The other machine burns cow dung (very common in most areas of the world) and generates a kilowatt of electricity--continuously. It does not sound like much power, but if you also give that community some LED lightbulbs, you change the way the community lives. A kilowatt of power will also charge cellphones, Ethernet networks, and laptops.
The problem with conventional approaches to power and telecom is the grid. You need an expensive electric and telecom grid to get power and communications into rural areas. By moving the power (and clean water) closer to users, the grid is eliminated. Kamen's approach turns fifty years of largely failed development strategies on its head. And its likely to work if given a chance.
Big, expensive regional and countrywide projects like dams make millions for the companies that get the contracts to build them, but they have rarely had the expected benefits. Just the way the Internet levels the playing field and gives everyone a more equal opportunity, so do Kamen's machines.