Carleton University student Kaleb Aman was recently named the winner of the James Dyson Award for his invention, DewPointe, a sustainable irrigation system that uses bottom-up watering techniques. He was awarded a 5,000-euro prize to continue field testing and plans to partner with NGOs to scale the devices.

Aman said he created the design to support farmers from his native country. During the dry spell season in the Longido District of Tanzania, which hurts smallholder farmers from cultivating crops, expensive tap water is used as drinking water and for livestock.

However, Aman’s invention aims to tackle that problem, providing a low-cost and sustainable solution that encourages smallholder farmers to cultivate crops all year round, including the dry season.

“The design process is the most exciting part. Learning and exploring Tanzania made way for new ideas and inspired a lot of aspects that went into DewPointe,” Aman said. He drew inspiration directly from Tanzania — through clay making, textiles and insects.

The James Dyson Award is an international design competition that encourages young designers and engineers to come up with innovative solutions to real-world problems. It is not specific to Canada but is open to students and recent graduates from various countries, including Canada. Participants are challenged to design a product or technology that solves a specific problem or addresses a pressing issue. The challenge can cover a wide range of categories, from sustainable energy and healthcare to transportation and consumer goods.

How it started, how it's going?

A recent poor harvest in the Longido district resulted in limited food availability and reduced casual farm labour opportunities, leading to high commodity prices and food insecurity.

To tackle these issues, which exist in multiple African countries, Aman trialled many different methods to harvest condensation to form runoff to water crops passively but quickly learned the temperature at night needs to drop more to create the dew point for moisture to condense. Through this trial, he turned to research and found materials that could absorb moisture in the atmosphere and release that moisture when exposed to heat. Eventually, this led him to charcoal for accessibility and its hygroscopic properties, according to a Dyson release.

Then, he conducted experiments using bags of charcoal with various pellet sizes, thicknesses, and bag materials. Next, different transitional mechanisms for the charcoal between its exposed and closed states were prototyped. The frame had a rubber ring around it, and it could move up and down a glass basin. Following user testing, the handle’s form was completed, and it was time to assemble the parts visually to smoothly transition the system to the ground.

Aman said he uses the Namib beetle, found in southwestern deserts in Africa. The Namib beetle harvests its drinking water from moisture in the air. The beetle has bumps and grooves on its back that have different purposes. The bumps are hydrophilic, and as water condenses on them, the droplets group up and run into the hydrophobic creases, which are waxy and easily flow right into the beetle’s mouth.

In another case, the company uses breathable fabric made by the women in the community. A unique feature of the charcoal bag is the dimples to keep the bag thickness consistent at half an inch so that all the pellets in the bag have an equal opportunity to be reached by the moisture in the atmosphere.

They also ask farmers to use an olla — a clay pot that can store water and prevent evaporation. The olla clay pot also promotes deep watering and dense root growth, encouraging more efficient nutrient and water uptake.

Humble beginnings

Kaleb Aman is the second oldest of four children. He was born in Maryland (U.S.) and was raised in Ottawa, a statement reads.

Growing up, he had a strong urge to improve commonplace situations when he was growing up and was a massive admirer of math, music, and the visual arts.

Aman's passion for design blossomed through his discovery of American designer Tinker Hatfield. Aman first found industrial design in high school, where he discovered he could combine his two favourite subjects — arts and math. Aman’s essential beliefs as an industrial designer are that effective and innovative solutions must combine aesthetics and user-centred interaction while also developing a relationship with functionality and manufacturing principles.

Currently, Aman is studying industrial design at Carleton University. “Being at Carleton has taught me to look at problems through a holistic approach with the provided interdisciplinary foundation,” he said.

Aman added that he would like to present the concept to NGOs, hopefully leading to implementing DewPointe with smallholder farmers facing food insecurity due to the dry season.

He will now head to the international stage to compete against other inventors for a top prize, a statement reads. The international shortlist will be announced on Oct. 18 and the international winners on Nov. 15.