Technical Design of a Locally Fabricable Water Transport Cart for Schools

Volunteering

Overview

Develop a functional and ergonomic water transport cart for school use.

You have:

• Experience in mechanical, product, or industrial design
• Ability to produce clear 2D technical drawings
• Ability to create basic 3D models or visualizations
• Understanding of basic structural and material considerations
• Experience with simple fabrication methods
• Experience with user-centered or ergonomic design
• Experience in low-resource or field environments

Contract

This is a UNV contract. More about UNV contracts.

In many areas, schools receive water free of charge from communal standpipes, but students are often responsible for transporting it.

To facilitate this process, we aim to develop a dedicated water transport cart adapted to this context.

The proposed cart is a two-wheeled chariot with a welded steel frame, designed to carry up to eight standard 20-liter jerrycans (approximately 160 kg of water). It is equipped with large-diameter bicycle wheels (around 28”) positioned centrally, allowing the load to be balanced efficiently and reducing the effort required to move it over uneven terrain.

The cart includes low-positioned handle bars adapted to children’s height, ensuring safe and comfortable use. The structure is designed to keep the center of gravity low and close to the axle, improving stability and maneuverability.

Beyond reducing physical strain, the cart is intended to support a safe, manageable, and engaging activity for students, making water collection easier and more accessible in daily school routines.

The design must be durable, functional, and suitable for repeated local production, while remaining simple enough to be built and maintained locally.

DELIVERABLES 2D dimensioned drawings of the cart, clear and directly usable by a local technician for prototype construction 3D model or visual representation to support understanding of the design Key design specifications, including: Dimensions and structure Wheel and axle configuration Jerrycan layout Basic material recommendations A prototype-ready design for initial field testing A revised and finalized design package incorporating field feedback, including: Updated drawings and specifications Clarified construction details

The final design and documentation should be sufficiently clear, detailed, and standardized to support a potential tendering or bidding process for larger-scale production.

We are seeking volunteer support to design a water transport cart for school use, suitable for local fabrication.

The assignment consists of developing:

2D technical drawings (dimensioned and buildable) 3D visualizations to support understanding

The design must be clear, practical, and easy to replicate by local technicians, using simple construction methods and available materials.

Special attention should be given to child-friendly ergonomics, including appropriate height, handle positioning, and ease of use.

The work will be carried out in two phases:

Initial design for prototype construction and field testing Revision of the design based on field feedback

Experience in mechanical, product, or industrial design Ability to produce clear 2D technical drawings Ability to create basic 3D models or visualizations Understanding of basic structural and material considerations Experience with simple fabrication methods

Desirable:

Experience with user-centered or ergonomic design Experience in low-resource or field environments

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 3 months ago - Updated 2 months ago - Source: unv.org