In developing nations, power outages or no access to an electrical grid means hospitals are left without lighting. Medical procedures are performed by kerosene lantern, flashlight, and in woefully underlit conditions. Michael O’Brien, from Sydney’s University of Technology, created an easy-to-ship and -assemble, hand-folded sheet metal and LED surgery lighting solution for developing countries. Michael experimented extensively with sheet metal patterns to arrive at a very simple  solution that required no special tools to assemble, adjust or maintain the light.

The frame is made of a single sheet of metal. One material means one industrial process, which means that it’s ultra-cheap to produce at scale. Along with the LED components, it can be shipped in an envelope, making it easy to get to its destination. The frame is perforated to allow it to be folded into shape by hand, making it easy to install. O’Brien notes that this allows an opportunity for small businesses to grow around assembling the lights for use.

What’s interesting about this design is that as much attention was paid to the logistics chain as to the final product. After all, lighting in a hospital situation is already a solved problem. The real problem is getting lights to all the hospitals.

This Light is part of the series: Smart Designs for Social Good.