Browsing Theses by Issue Date
Now showing items 1-20 of 34
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Strategies for the introduction of alternative fuel vehicles in India
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013)Rapid growth in population and increase in disposable income has led to a robust increase in automotive sales in India. As in many parts of the world, the internal combustion engines are the dominant vehicle power train ... -
Identification of design requirements for a high-performance, low-cost, passive prosthetic knee through user analysis and dynamic simulation
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013)In January 2012, a partnership was initiated between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS, a.k.a., Jaipur Foot) to design a high-performance, low-cost, passive ... -
Development of an efficient off-grid pumping system and evaporation reduction strategies to increase access to irrigation for smallholder farmers in India
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013)Due to the unavailability of electricity, about 85% of groundwater irrigation in eastern India employs fuel-powered surface pumps, which can have system efficiencies as low as 5%. As fuel prices continue to rise, impoverished ... -
Toward accessible evaluation of the electrophysiology of human vision
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)As photoreceptors in our retinas capture discrete photons, that energy is converted into an electrochemical signal which shoots back through the optic nerve and into our visual cortex. We can sample that signal as it's ... -
Tracing public space : a participatory approach to transform public spaces in low-income communities
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)Rapid urban growth has challenged our traditional planning methods. It has been a driver for the increase of overcrowded informal settlements in major cities of the developing world, which shelter one third of the world ... -
Application of bi-directional ICT channels to increase livelihoods for artisans in rural India
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)The handicraft industry is the second largest employer in rural India after agriculture, and has been the fastest-growing export growth sector since India's liberalization in 1991. Today, however, millions of artisans face ... -
Environmental and economic tradeoffs in building materials production in India
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)The current and projected growth of India's economy and population will continue to lead to increased demand for buildings and infrastructure, and there is a real need to consider what this increase means in terms of natural ... -
Design and evaluation of a cantilever beam-type prosthetic foot for Indian persons with amputations
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)The goal of this work is to design a low cost, high performance prosthetic foot in collaboration with Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), in Jaipur, India. In order to be adopted, the foot must cost less than ... -
Catalyzing entrepreneurship from the ground up : an experiment in small-town India
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)Entrepreneurs are essential for creating companies, jobs and growing wealth in communities. Currently, existing entrepreneurial programs start with self-identified entrepreneurs and provide facilities for their growth. ... -
Building stability through decentralization : the environmental, economic, and ethical argument for informal sector collection and decentralized waste processing in urban India
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)Rapid population growth, urbanization and increasing affluence have led to increases in consumption and waste generation in all Indian cities. The current system, a mix of informal recyclables collection and centralized ... -
Justification of village scale photovoltaic powered electrodialysis desalination systems for rural India
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)This thesis justifies photovoltaic (PV)-powered electrodialysis (ED) as an energy and cost-effective means of desalinating groundwater in rural India and presents the design requirements for a village-level system. Saline ... -
The Williston time capsule
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015)This project is a time capsule of the oil economy, created by entombing everyday objects made from and powered by petroleum into a landscape that spatially recreates the processes of drilling and fracking a contemporary ... -
Confined masonry for seismically resilient low-cost housing in India : a design and analysis method
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015)Confined masonry (CM) is a viable housing typology that is resilient and economical for developing countries in seismic regions. Given its suitability for low-tech environments, multiple authors have published instructions ... -
The reference electrification model : a computer model for planning rural electricity access
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015)Despite efforts from governments and other organizations, hundreds of millions of people-primarily in Africa and South Asia-still have no electricity service. Electrification efforts have historically been focused on ... -
Analysis of slipback of rural water supply systems in India using FIETS framework and IMIS database : Gujarat Case Study
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015)The objective of this project is to address the failure rate or "slipback" of rural water supply systems in India by analyzing performance of previous water projects using the national government database called IMIS. Data ... -
Analysis and design for thermally autonomous housing in resource-constrained communities : a case study in Bhuj, India
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015)In the 2010 International Workshop on Housing, Health and Climate Change Meeting Report, the World Health Organization identifies housing as a primary cause of poor health in developing countries. The report cites inadequate ... -
The role of actors and incentives in municipal solid waste management : a case study on Muzaffarnagar, India
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015)The ever-increasing urban population and a growing middle class are leading to a burgeoning solid waste problem in Indian cities. While legislation has been passed to address the growing waste issue, there has been limited ... -
Characterization of residuals from novel anaerobic digestion of organic municipal solid waste for application as liquid fertilizer
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015)Management of organic municipal solid waste presents numerous challenges in India. Anaerobic digestion is one technology that can be used to address this problem, by transforming organic waste into methane via microbial ... -
A methodology for turbocharging single cylinder four stroke internal combustion engines
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015)This thesis presents a method for turbocharging single cylinder four stroke internal combustion engines, a model used to evaluate it, an experimental setup used to test it, and the findings of this experiment. A turbocharged ... -
Droplet deposition on hydrophobic surfaces for agricultural sprays
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015)This thesis presents a study of the in-situ precipitation of polyelectrolytes during droplet impacts and its applications in enhancing the retention efficiency of sprays. Large amounts of agricultural sprays are wasted ...
