It may seem that Africa is a quiet continent when it comes to inventions and technology innovation but the silence of the black nation should not be seen as sleep, laziness or docility.
Africans past and present have us brought about loads of innovative solutions. African tech inventions have helped life in rural areas and has also saved lives in very dire situations.
This is in spite of several barriers like access to fund, inadequate infrastructure, lack of investors and technical manpower. Africans are creative-thinkers, innovators who are developing new technologies everyday to transform societies, building technologies with global demand and commercial sustainability in any part of the world.
Just in case you didn’t know, the following technology innovation emerged from Africa and it has gained the global acceptability;
CT Scan
Many will not believe that this widely used scanner originated from Africa. The Computed Tomography scanner is mostly used in the medical field. CT Scan was invented by a South African born physicist; Allan McLeod Cormack some decades ago before it was later developed and made commercial in the United Kingdom.
For this innovation, Allan was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. CT scan allows the doctor to look at the inside of the body just as one would look at the inside of a loaf of bread by slicing it. This type of special X-ray, in a sense, takes “pictures” of slices of the body so doctors can look right at the area of interest. CT scans are frequently used to evaluate the brain, neck, spine, chest, abdomen, pelvis, and sinuses.
Cardiopad
Another ground-breaking invention from the black continent is Cardiopad. Invented by Cameroonian computer systems engineer; Arthur Zang.
Arthur’s CardioPad is a touch pad that has embedded applications for medical use. The tablet can perform ECG exams on a patient and facilitate GSM network transmission of exam results to cardiologists, as well as store information and notifications in an SQL database
The gadget is widely used in areas where very urgent diagnostic tests need to be carried out but can’t be accessible. It has allowed many heart patients to get an early diagnosis.
Mubser
Mubser is a navigational aid tool specially made for visually-impaired people. It is a wearable belt with a Bluetooth connected headset that guides blind people to move and navigate around common obstacles such as walls, chairs and staircases in a safe and easy way. Mubser was developed by Khaled Shady, a 22-year-old Egyptian student and a group of computer engineering students at Menoufia University, Egypt.
Saphonian Zero-Blade Wind Convertor
The Saphonian is a bladeless wind turbine that leverages on sailboat technology to produce energy by harnessing wind through a sail that follows a non-rotational back-and-forth 3D motion. The sail channels the wind in a back and forth motion and then converts the kinetic energy into mechanical energy using pistons. The Saphonian was created by Saphon Energy, a Tunisian start up founded by Hassine Labaied and Anis Aouini.
Welcome to Africa, where even though unsung, technology innovations and inventions are created not just for Africa alone but for the world.