The future makes sense to us only because of the ease with which we explain the past.
In 2014, the world avoided a global outbreak of Ebola thanks to thousands of selfless health workers. Despite this mitigation, many scientists including Bill Gates agreed that luck had a significant role to play in enabling us combat the likely pandemic then.
In 2015, after realizing that the previous success of controlling Ebola’s spread in West Africa was more due to luck than technical preparedness, Microsoft founder, Bill Gates implored governments to jointly carry out reforms in their healthcare infrastructure so as to be better prepared to control the spread of any infectious disease like the Ebola Virus Disease that had just ravaged West Africa.
Many, if not all, gave him a deaf ear and took his TED talk for a mere rhetorical speculative speech.
Now that the long-speculated pandemic is here, we are privileged to have steadfast problem-solvers like Kawaga Victor in our midst.
In other words, not all hope is lost because we failed to prevent the pandemic despite the warning we got from the likes of Bill Gates.
Kawaga Victor is Ugandan inventor with cutting edge acumen and an unwavering predilection to solve societal challenges using his knowledge of robotics.
After observing the numerous certified reports about the mode of spread of the Corona Virus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19), Victor saw a loophole in the virus’ mechanism of spread which could be capitalized on by the use of robots.
Victor built a robot, code named Terra, to eliminate human to human contact between the suspected infected people and health workers.
Terra’s prototype has arms with five flexible joints to carry 350 grams and it runs on two wheels through a distance of 300 meters.
Terra’s body is chiefly made of home-made wood and 5% Acrylic. The circuitry is 50% home-made.
Terra is also built with a non-contact temperature sensor that relays temperature readings to a computer for diagnosis. Most importantly, Terra is a scalable robot implying that with sufficient investment, we could have several Terras taking this pandemic head-on without risking the lives of health workers.
Mankind’s resilience is indeed exhibited through Kawaga’s defiant ameliorative deeds in the face of adversity.
Let this innovation nudge us out of the straitjacket of surrender and hopelessness so we may evolve through this pandemic together.