Inspired by a biological cell, the Pumpkin is a safe and ecologically sustainable way to carry water as Nature does, without harming the environment. The idea was originated and developed in the class of Wyss core faculty member, David Edwards, who also founded ArtScience Labs, a network of labs that promote socially beneficial innovations.
The Pumpkin helps people carry water in multiple ways without undue physical stress, and, like a biological cell, it can shrink or expand to handle different amounts, even filtering water as needed. There is no waste.
The Pumpkin can hang from your shoulder or be affixed to a purse or handbag. It can be balanced on top of your head or cling like a rucksack to your back. During manual labor or relief efforts, it can carry as much as 15 liters of water evenly distributed around the torso. The Pumpkin is part of an international humanitarian experiment to improve water transport in parts of the world where there is little access to clean water. Sales revenues from the Pumpkin, which should reach commercial markets by late 2010, will support a three-year initiative by ArtScience Labs, in conjunction with South African students, professors, and Harvard faculty, to improve water transport in African communities.