Making a Water Kiosk at Makespace
Majicom is a not for profit social enterprise developing sustainable digital water systems for use in East Africa. We work with communities in Dar es Salaam to co-create solutions that increase the access and affordability of clean drinking water. The ability to rapidly prototype hardware designs has been critical to our success so far. Without that capability we would have never been able to demonstrate our concepts, receive feedback, and ultimately create our water kiosk solution. However, as a start-up, acquiring expensive capital equipment for prototyping (and using it without expert support) was not a viable option for us.
That’s where Makespace – a community workshop in the heart of Cambridge came in. We have been proud members of the space for over 2 years and have spent a huge amount of time developing our products there. Makespace boasts impressive facilities, including 3D printers, laser cutters, electronics facilities, and more. The space is also home to a welcoming community of makers, creatives, and entrepreneurs who are always generous with their time and advice
The Majicom team at Makespace
Perhaps most importantly, Makespace has empowered us to take a co-creation approach. Specifically, we have used the space’s resources to create interactive demo systems that form the keystone of our community workshops in Dar es Salaam. Through these sessions we have been able to explore the nuances of the water problem, understand current behaviours and preferences, and explore solution concepts with future users. Our digital water kiosk technology was born directly from this work, and we would never have achieved this without the machines and minds at Makespace.
The Majicom team ran several interactive workshops in Dar es Salaam over the last two years. These sessions used interactive prototypes made at Makespace to understand everything from design and colour preferences to how people want to pay for water.
We are now back in Tanzania, showcasing and receiving the final round of feedback on our water kiosk solution. The system includes electronics for automated dispensing and purification, a lightweight and strong fibreglass composite body, integrated payment options, and low-power purification tools. Proudly made in Makespace, our kiosks will soon be deployed in Dar es Salaam, dispensing clean affordable water to urban communities across the city.
The Majicom kiosk built in Makespace is currently being showcased in Tanzania through user workshops and engagement with stakeholders across Dar es Salaam