11.07.11
Help us develop a weapon lock for the AK-47, the most common weapon in the world! Tasked by the Danish Refugee Council's demining unit, an industrial designer began work. Sylvia Holthen came up with a new device, now on its way to Somalia.
33-year-old Sylvia Holthen handles the Kalashnikov-rifle with ease and routine. She is familiar with the weapon in a way that at first glance makes one doubt what she is doing in the Danish Demining Group’s head quarter at the Danish Refugee Council in Copenhagen. Click - and the magazine is inserted, one more click - and the gun is secured, ready for use.
"The first times with the rifle over my shoulder when I was cycling through Copenhagen, it felt rather strange. But it's wrapped in a special bag, so it is not too obvious."
Designer on a mission
Sylvia Holthen is an industrial designer on a special mission. Armed to the teeth, she takes on work at the Danish Demining Group. There she has worked out a special type of lock for what is called one of the world's most classic assault rifles, the AK-47.
"It was really a coincidence and not something I expected would be a project for me. But I was asked to look at whether it was possible to develop a weapon lock that could be easy to use and which ultimately could help save lives."
AK-47 is a common and well known weapon - a classic designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1947. Today, the weapon can be found worldwide. It is durable, functional, easy to repair, and works as intended – and in many ways meet the highest criteria for what design strives towards.
Accidental shooting
But it is also a weapon that takes lives every day – wilful actions in many cases, but also due to accidents and accidental shots. There are plenty of accidents in many of the world's conflict zones where weapons are a usual sight and part of daily life.
More than one million people die each year because of firearms. Half of the incidents occur in New York and Rio de Janeiro, while the other half is happening in conflict zones, areas where the Danish Refugee Council and Danish Demining Group work.
When the Danish Demining Group launches activities in new areas of the world, there is much more to the job than the clearing of mines, Rasmus Stuhr Jakobsen, Head of Danish Demining Group explains.
"The number of people killed or injured due to armed violence or accidents is alarmingly high. And that's why we need to think differently and to be progressive. Already we teach people about mine awareness and the dangers of having weapons at home and among for example children. This is why the arms lock comes into play, "says Rasmus Stuhr Jakobsen.
First attempts
In Somalia, the Danish Demining Group has already worked with attempts to introduce the idea of locking up private arms and to secure them so they cannot be fired accidentally. In a Somali village a local blacksmith has produced a metal device as a first attempt to work out a weapon lock. But there was a need to improve the lock to make it functional.
Sylvia Holthen has spoken with senior weapons experts and studied a bunch of pictures from Somalia, showing how the lock is used.
"Look at this picture. It is from Somalia and shows that many people actually use the old lock completely wrong. It is also far too clumsy and not really suited to the AK-47. But this shows the basis for my project and the task to develop a new lock."
Welfare design
Only two years ago, Sylvia Holthen graduated as industrial designer at the Danish Design School. She already has several creations and inventions behind her, within what we call welfare design.
"For me it is all about an approach to design that allows me to make a difference in peoples’ lives. It's about much more than design - it's about creating some solutions that work in situations that are complex and in which design can optimize treatment or minimize damage," says Sylvia Holthen.
Sylvia Holthen among other things has designed talking clock for the blind, a light that enhances the use of bulbs, and an atomizer for handheld treatment of burns. In Denmark, there are 15,000 burns every year and more than every other time affecting children - a meaningful background to working on the invention of the atomizer, which was subsequently selected to participate in EXPO 2010 exhibition in Shanghai.
Advanced design - simple produce
Now, the task is about creating a product that not only should meet the requirements of functionality and modern design. At the same time, the weapon lock should also be produced with as little cost as possible and by a local blacksmith in a developing country. Somalia is the first destination for Sylvia Holthen’s design.
"I hope to be able to travel to Somalia some time and see how the lock is manufactured. Maybe I can help to improve further when I see it produced in the environment where it must be put to use. Unfortunately, we know already that there is a significant need for this type of security. The next challenge is about convincing people about the importance of locking up their weapon and just carry the key with them," says Sylvia Holthen.
Weapons in everyday life
In Somalia weapons are part of everyday life. Conflict and civil war has ravaged the country for two decades. The Danish Demining Group is working with the clearing of mines in several areas of Somalia, but increasingly also with the so called AVR program - Armed Violence Reduction. The programme is about creating awareness and teaching the risks associated with living in a society with many weapon and filled with unexploded ordnance. It is in this context that Sylvia Holthen’s weapon lock will proof its worth.
"Humanitarian demining and modern industrial design - it's not exactly the most obvious combination. But for us it is imperative to try out entirely new ways to find solutions to mitigate risks. That is why this it has been a true eye opener to work with an industrial designer as Sylvia Holthen on the weapon lock for Somalia," says Rasmus Stuhr Jakobsen.
New challenges ahead
Sylvia Holthen takes a final grip on AK-47 rifle to check if the lock is fitting. Click - and another click - it is in place, and now the weapon is safe. The Russian design classic will continue to be found all over the world for many years to come. This time with a Danish design detail making it less dangerous.
The job is done and the assault rifle is to be returned. Sylvia Holthen is ready to clear the drawing board and get ready to look at new design challenges. She disassembles the rifle one last time before packing it and gets ready for cycling through Copenhagen with an AK-47 over her shoulder and a weapon lock on her curriculum.
