IDDS Aarogyam (meaning “good health”) was a four-week International Development Design Summit to design and develop health-focused interventions and technologies to improve access to health care in resource-poor communities.

IDDS Aarogyam was held on July 6 – August 1, 2015 in Chennai, India, and organized by IDIN Network members in coordination with the HIVE, a local nonprofit that helps innovative ideas come to life through access to knowledge, expertise, market information, and networks.

Participants in IDDS Aarogyam worked closely with communities in and around Chennai, India to create holistic healthcare solutions to meet the needs of people where they are, acknowledging their status, aspirations, and dignity.

This intense, hands-on summit brought together community representatives, health workers, midwives, students, business leaders, engineers, and designers from across the globe who worked together to develop locally-accessible solutions with the potential to strengthen the healthcare system and empower participants in the process.

IDDS Aarogyam was instructed by Benjamin Linder, Associate Professor of Design and Mechanical Engineering, Olin College of Engineering, and supported by Zubaida Bai and other IDIN Network members. 

By the end of the four-week experience, participants created several prototypes and business models that will aid public private partnership in the health space and promote adoption in the communities where they are designed. While these prototypes and business models were designed specifically to support the creation of inclusive healthcare solutions in the communities where the summit is organized, the intention is that their projects have the potential to scale and replicate across geographies in need of access to quality healthcare.

Projects included:

• A home-based care medication and diagnosis delivery system
• A multifuctional child safety harness
• A low-cost resuscitation device for newborn care
• A thermometer for newborn care
• A set of decision-making tools for birth spacing
• A medical box with organizational tools and suplies that reduce contamination rates
• An iron dispenser
• A growth and measuring system to combat malnutrition

Local Host and Organizing Partners: