Robotics is not a game for young scientists. Three A-level students in Uganda have however built a bomb detecting and neutralizing robot.
Alvin Kabwama, David Tusubira and Nigel Kinyera developed the prototype named Explosive Ordinance Disposal (OED) under the tutelage of Cosmas Mwikyirize, a lecturer at Makerere University’s College of Engineering, Design Art and Technology.
“We built the prototype on our own,” said Mwikirize.
Mwikyirize says that once the prototype has gone through the final testing, it will have the capacity to detect bombs and defuse them. It will also be able to detonate Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) commonly used by the terrorists.
The robot, officially unveiled during the recent communications awards, has 12 motors, sensors, and a Central Processing Unit of the tetrix system.
It also uses Bluetooth for movement control and Wi-Fi and Wimax for the video field to send signals. The prototype is remotely controlled using a computer to steer it through relatively flat surfaces within a 20-metre radius.
According to the team, the robot minimizes the risk of officers involved in counter-terrorism missions.
The college’s spokesperson Betty Kyakuwa said the design and construction of the robot was motivated by the need to demonstrate local capacity in the development of technology in the fight against terrorism.
Terrorism has recently hit hard in East Africa. The recent Nairobi bombings alleged to have been conducted by the Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab is a case in point.
