Individuals, groups of students, senior design teams, BMES or IEEE chapters or just a bunch of friends can submit designs.  Designs are generally accepted in December or January, but can be submitted at any time.  If your design meets the design criteria, you will receive up to $150 to build a prototype.  If your prototype works, it may be selected to be produced.  If you wish, in the summer following the production of your design, you, or your team, can travel to the developing world to distribute the product by participating in the EWH summer program.

In order to participate, you must meet several criteria:

  1. In order to participate, you must meet several criteria:
    Your design must be documented, including 1) a description of the theory of the device (approximately two pages) including the specific specifications (accuracy and such) that your device will meet, 2) a detailed parts list, including source, quantity, part number, price (in quantities of 1 and 5) and anything else that would be required for one to order the parts.  Your design can be kit-able (requiring no custom parts).  Some projects require kit-ability.   3) engineering drawings including construction drawings for the enclosure, if there is one, top and side views of the completed item (multiple if required), 4) a requested amount (up to $150) for the prototype with the detailed budget to support the request, and 5) a cover letter stating your team members (name, address, telephone and e-mail for each) and to whom the prototype check should be made and sent.  Additional documentation may be provided, if you deem it necessary.   Your cover letter must state if you are designing a locally produced item (all parts on the parts list are from a developing world country of origin) or a kit (some parts must be ordered singly from a US distributor and shipped to the developing world) or a typical product (all components purchased and assembled in the US and then shipped to the developing world).  Preference is often given to locally produced items.
  2. The cashing of the payment you receive constitutes a license to Engineering World Health to freely produce the final design non-exclusively, for donation to hospitals anywhere in the world in kit, documentation or final form.  Engineering World Health is also licensed to publish all technical specifications on its web site for general use.
  3. All submissions must be made electronically in Word format.

    When your design is complete, you will also need the following documentation for the design to enter production:

  4. Updated documentation of anything that has changed.  Be sure to update the kit/locally produced status of your design.

  5. New diagrams which include: 1) detailed construction instructions.  If a kit, instructions for assembly of the kit of parts in the developing world with no special or custom parts.  No special tools must be required.  Assume a high school student or person in the developing world could construct your device from, typically, a sequence of photographs.  For local construction, use mostly pictures of each stage of construction.  For traditional products, assembly diagrams are usually sufficient.  2) testing instructions so that the builder can confirm that it is working.  3) operating instructions (must be in pictorial form, not words).

  6. Calibration data and testing data to show that your design works.

We prefer that you write us before beginning the design.  That way, we can give you any updates or clarifications on the design criteria.  If you decide to send a letter ahead of time, please include your projected date for the submission of the design and documentation and your mentors name and title.  However, it is not necessary to write ahead of time.

Any design which meets the published specifications and the criteria set out above receives the $150 to construct the prototype.  If the criteria are met on your first submission, you will typically receive the $150 within four weeks.  If you have written ahead of time, you may be able to receive the $150 sooner.

We may select your design if 1) it still meets the specifications, and if 2) its performance exceeds (lower cost, more features, higher reliability, etc.) any item which we are currently producing in that category and any other designs submitted that year of the same type.  If you write ahead of time, we can inform you of what other teams have selected the same item, and what items we are currently producing in the selected category.

Don’t hesitate to write an e-mail to info@ewh.org if you have any questions. Your efforts can have a tremendous impact on the developing world.