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CORRINE — Inside his home workshop, Alan Riser demonstrates how one of his inventions could help people in third world countries get a day of work done in less than an hour.
"You put a couple of people on this, and they can shell a whole field in half a day," Riser said. "You're 200, 500 miles away from any civilization, any electricity, any running water."
A device he calls "The Chameleon" can shell or grind corn, saw wood or mix concrete. Up to 14 people push and pull levers, using their hands and feet.
Riser has also built playground equipment that can generate electricity or pump water from a well. He says he started building for others after learning an important lesson.
"I spent the first portion of my life trying to please myself," Riser said. "I've found that trying to please others and doing humanitarian work and service has brought me more joy in my life than anything I ever tried to do."
Riser says two of his water-pumping swings have been up and running in Ghana for about four years now. He still has some inventions he'd like to bring over. He calls one of them the "Poop Light."
"It runs off cow manure and dirt," Riser said. "It doesn't put out a whole bunch of electricity, but it'll pull out enough to run some LED lights."
Riser, with the help of a few friends, has created a nonprofit organization called "Charitable Ingenuity." He's now working to raise funds for a trip this summer.
"We're all about serving others that don't have the opportunity that we do," Riser said.
