Dimas Harry Priawan is studying Environmental and Energy Management and specializing in renewable energy for developing countries. Dimas and his friend, Januardy Djong from TU Delft, entered the Shell Ideas360 competition with their ‘UniPump’ idea. Their invention was selected out of more than 650 submitted ideas and entered the 2nd stage of the competition.
UniPump - a Modular Irrigation Pump- is designed to improve productivity, crop yield and income for farmers. It specifically aims to help people at the bottom of the social pyramid, especially farmers in developing countries such as Indonesia, which is both inventors´ home country and their source of inspiration.
Could you describe how does the UniPump work?
‘UniPump is a modular irrigation pump based on a treadle-pump concept. We changed the levermechanism by a rotational movement to provide better ergonomics. We were actually inspired by the Dutch bicycles culture. Also, UniPump is a modular system where the pump module can be replaced by other machines such as a blender, a corn thrasher or a rice husker to increase the value of the harvest.’
Is the development of UniPump connected to your studies at the UT?
‘Yes, indirectly. I am currently working on my thesis on household bio-gas in Sumba Island, Indonesia. Most people living there are farmers and do not have sufficient irrigation for their farms.’
Being selected into the 2nd stage of the Shell competition gave you a chance to further develop your idea. Does this mean that you are currently working on actually creating a functional UniPump?
‘We first want to develop a strong business plan, so we can hopefully receive an investment of about €2000 to develop the working prototype.’
How do you plan to make sure that UniPump really makes an impact and helps?
‘The plan is simple. We need an early investment to create the prototype and prove that it works as it should. Later, we may enter this idea into another competition that provides bigger funding.’
Can the invention truly have an impact on the energy and food issues of the world?
‘Yes. I just came back from Indonesia, where I interviewed farmers. Currently they are using a tin-bucket to water their field three times a day. They spend about an hour each time. Imagine how much time they could save by utilizing this simple technology. We believe that farmers living in the bottom of the pyramid require a simple, accessible and reliable technology to improve their productivity. Simple things mean a huge opportunity for them, and that’s what UniPump is all about.’
