Africa seems a quiet continent when it comes to technology but the quietness of the continent should not be misinterpreted as Africa has brought about a lot of innovative solutions. African inventions in Technology has made life easier in rural areas and has also enabled the saving of lives in very dire situations. Africa is slowly improving its technology to match that of the Western nations and has no shortage of aspiring and creative minds. There is only one outcome when the incubating and innovative young minds in Africa embrace the knowledge and independence they long for – Inventions. The following are some of the African inventions in the field of technological advancements that have been developed purely in Africa.
African Inventions and their Inventors
1. Charging shoes
The charging shoe is one of the African inventions that was recently developed by a Kenyan inventor called Anthony Mutua. This technology is applied to charge phones using the power generated by pedestrians. This invention consists of thin crystal chips that are fitted to the sole of the shoe. As a person walks, electricity is generated through the pressure that is exerted on the sole during walking by the person’s weight. The chips carry the current through an extension cable that extends from the shoe to the phone in the pocket and you necessarily do not have to keep walking to generate energy as the shoes can also continue to charge phones after walks by releasing the stored energy after the shoes remain static. In this case, you can afford to walk or run without the wiring system and still be able to generate and store energy to be transferred to your mobile phones at a later time.
2. Cardiopad
Another amazing invention of African technology is the Cardiopad which was invented by a Cameroonian entrepreneur called Marc Arthur- the very first touch screen medical tablet invented and made in Africa. It is a computer tablet that is used for heart examinations. The gadget allows such examinations as electrocardiograms to be conducted in the rural and inaccessible locations. With the Cardiopad, electrodes are placed on the patient and connected to a module that, in turn, connects to the tablet. When a medical examination is performed on a patient in a remote village, for example, the results are transmitted from the nurse’s tablet to that of the doctor who then interprets them. The gadget is mostly used in areas where very urgent diagnostic tests need to be carried out but are inaccessible. The innovation has allowed many heart patients to get an early diagnosis, and this is a luxury as previously they could not get the service not unless they travelled to urban areas. The device is expected to facilitate treatment of patients suffering from heart disease across Africa and most especially Cameroon.
3. CAT scan
Th CAT scan is an unbelievable African invention that is widely used around the world in the medical field. This technology was invented by a South African called Allan Cormack. However, the idea was developed and made commercial in the United Kingdom. The inventor was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for his invention. This technology provided a mathematical technique that was used for scanning. In the CAT scan, the electronic detectors and X-ray source are rotated around the body and in the process, the radiologist gets a sharp map of the cross-section (tissue slices) of the body.
4. Cybertracker
The Cybertracker was invented by Lindsay Stevenson in 1996. This African technology is used to track insects, birds and animals by the use of a satellite navigational system. The skilled but illiterate San trackers can store information on different animals on this device. This includes the overall population of a species, their location, the number of males and females, where and how the animals feed and what the animals do to mark their territories. This is one of the most amazing African inventions that found its use in the Animal kingdom.
In essence, CyberTracker is the most efficient method of data collection using GPS. You can use CyberTracker with various handheld devices such as a Smartphone or computer to record any kind of observation made while out in the field. It requires no programming skills and allows you to customize an application for your own data collection needs.
5. Quiet Cellular Antenna Technology
This is one of the most intriguing African inventions Paul van Jaarsveld and Gordon Mayhew, who are South Africans were the brains gifted us. The quiet cellular antennae technology has a square kilometer array plan that reduces noisy cellular emissions from base stations used by cellular companies. This African technology is based on one phased-array principle that blocks radio frequency transmissions along a given direction and also provides an omnidirectional coverage.
The antenna has been tested in other parts of the world and has worked extremely well. Trial measurements have shown that the radio signal frequency levels can be significantly reduced while at the same time maintaining the original GSM coverage. The SKA is projected to be 50 to 100 times more sensitive than any other radio telescope ever built, and an area without much radio emissions is essential for the success of the project.
