8th April 2003 |
| The Glowstar is now available worldwide. Shipments have been made to
Kenya, the UK and the USA where the lanterns are now available for distribution to retail
outlets. Lanterns have also been sent in smaller quantities to Ghana, and various
countries in Europe and Asia. |
19th November 2001 |
| The Glowstar will soon be ready for final testing. |
9th July 2001 |
| The first moulding prototypes have come off the tooling set and are being
checked for dimensional accuracy. Once this has been completed, more prototypes will be
made, assembled into complete lanterns and fully tested. Lanterns should be available to
purchase in the new colour scheme soon. |
23rd March 2001 |
| We are forming a partnership with Sollatek,
a UK based company who specialise in solar and electronics manufacture and disribution
througout the developing world. |
| The final design details have been finished. Additional details and
functions which were raised by the customers in the field testing have been added.
Production is now being set up. |
2nd June 2000 |
| Feedback from the lanterns on test in Kenya has proved immensely useful.
Focus groups provided insight into the market for solar products in Kenya, while
individual interviews gave detailed information about the performance of every single
lantern, and the thoughts of every single lantern owner. Further details are available |
| 30 lanterns are still in Kenya as the owners would not let us take them
back! The interest generated by the prototypes has been larger than anyone expected and
the dealers and community group have lists of potential customers who want the lanterns
should more arrive. |
| Several technical issues have shown up, and other functional and
operational changes are planned for the production model. We are now in contact with
several manufacturers and distributors about mass production of the lantern. We are still
open to offers and a form can be downloaded from the Manufacturers
page for any prospective partners. |
16th December 1999 |
| A number of prototype lanterns have been assembled. The casings were made
using rapid prototyping techniques and so have similar properties to polypropylene
injection moulded components made using metal tooling. |
| 30 prototypes have been sent to Kenya, where they are being distributed
to householders in three regions. Dealers in two towns in Eastern province are selling
lanterns to customers for the targeted retail price of the lantern. A community group
operating in Rift Valley province is distributing lanterns to its members, who are paying
for the lanterns in instalments. All groups will be closely monitored and both technical
and subjective feedback is an important aspect of this exercise. |
