"IDDS has realized the vision of Amy Smith, who received a master's in engineering from MIT in 1995 and won a MacArthur 'genius' grant in 2004. Smith, one of the conference organizers, is dedicated to using technology to design simple yet efficient solutions for problems in the developing world.

"I believe very strongly that solutions to problems in the developing world are best created in collaboration with the people who will be using them," Smith said. "By bringing this group of people together, we get an incredibly broad range of backgrounds and experiences.

During the summit, participants split off into design teams, identified a problem, and collaborated on working solutions. Taking part in all aspects of the design process -- from problem definition through manufacturing of prototypes -- the teams received training at machine shops, rapid prototyping facilities and workspaces at MIT and in the surrounding community."

 Taken from the MIT News Office here or read more at www.iddsummit.org