One Laptop Per Child

Last January at the World Economic Forum, Nicholas Negroponte from MIT’s Media Labs, announced an initiative that is audacious both in scope and the technical challenge it aims to achieve. The One Laptop Per Child foundation, an offshoot of MIT’s Media Lab, wants to design, build and distribute a $100 laptop to 150 million children around the world.

The idea is to distribute these laptops to poor children particularly in the developing world to help with their education. Having a laptop will improve education levels and help link children in remote, impoverished areas with the world around them. Under the plan local governments, aid agencies, and private donors would pick up the tab. Current corporate sponsors include AMD, Google, and NewsCorp.

In November, Negroponte and his team are planning to unveil a prototype laptop featuring a 500MHz processor with a “skinny version” of Linux, 4 USB ports, 1GB of memory and Wi-Fi support. The laptop will be powered via a conventional AC adapter or a wind-up crank for use in areas without a reliable source of electricity.

This is without a doubt an outstanding initiative that, if successful, will bear fruit over several decades or more. Form more information, check out: http://laptop.media.mit.edu.