Groundbreaking African Inventions in Technology - Top 9
Here are 10 groundbreaking African inventions in technology that will simply blow your mind.
#9 - Aceso
South African Kit Vaughan invented the Aceso machine. The Aceso machine is the first imaging system designed to do digital mammography and ultrasound at the same time.
The mammographic and ultrasound technologies allow the Aceso machine to detect cancerous cells as soon as they develop even in women whose breasts tissues are very dense.
Very soon, women in South Africa and the rest of the world will have a very cost-effective and efficient method of detecting breast cancer.
Patented and ISO-certified in 2012, 120 women have helped to prove that this machine is indeed effective in detecting breast cancer.
#8 - Green Tower
As countries continue to call for cleaner sources of energy, South African Andre Nel took up the challenge and created Green Tower. Green Tower is two in one air conditioning and water heater system using solar energy.
The system has solar thermal collectors, low pressure storage tanks and heat exchangers which allow it to store energy for a long time.
#7 – Urine Test for Malaria
Another of Africa’s groundbreaking inventions is the Urine Test for Malaria. No longer will Africans in malaria stricken countries have to wait to be diagnosed by a doctor.
Dr. Eddy Agbo of Nigeria developed a Urine Test for Malaria that allows for the disease to be detected within 25 minutes. The user urinates in a container then dips a stick into it.
The dipstick detects malaria parasite proteins in the urine of people who have contracted malaria. The inventor believes this will help to reduce the amount of malaria-related deaths as early detection makes it easy to manage the disease.
#6 – PLPK
Groundbreaking inventions are also coming to us from out of Egypt. Dr. Youssef Rashed created the Plate Package (PLPAK), a software, to assess building plans and designs for structural faults. The inventor hopes that this software will help to construct buildings that are strong and safe.
#5 - CompactOR Portable Operating Theater/Hospital-in-a-Box
Another of the ingenious inventions is the Hospital-in-a-Box. Invented by Nigerian Seyi Oyesol and English engineer, Alexander Bushell, the Hospital-in-a-Box is a compact complete operating room with all the tools necessary including defibrillators, EKG monitoring, anesthesia, and surgical lighting.
Dr Oyesol invented this compact hospital as he wanted to ensure that African in even the remotest area had access to proper healthcare.
Doctors making use of this compact hospital power it with either a solar panel, a car’s 12 volt plug, or a foot pedal. Health care practitioners use it to perform from heart surgeries to appendices removal surgeries.
#4 – Cyber tracker
South Africa seems to be the home of inventors. In 1996, Louis Liebenberg and Justin Steven saw the need for a device that would be able to track animals. They put their heads together and invented the cyber tracker.
The cyber tracker is a handheld device that allows users to enter information on animals so that they can be tracked. The cyber tracker is connected to a satellite navigational system.
The information entered helps scientists to carry out research on these animals. Farmers from the different tribes that roam the savannas and mountainsides of Africa are able to use this invention.
Even if they are unable to reach, Liebenberg and Steven made with an interface that can be manipulated by anyone.
#3 - CAT Scan: Computed Axial Tomography (CAT) Scan
South African physicist Allan Cormack and British engineer Godfrey Hounsfield independently invented the CAT Scan. X-ray technology and computers work to create a 3D map of the tissues in the body.
This technology is now present in almost every health care facility worldwide. Among its uses are to detect tumors and blood clots. For their work, they were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1979.
#2 - Charging Shoes
Imagine having a shoe that charges your cell phone as you walk, jog or run. Twenty-four years old Kenyan inventor Anthony Mutua went further than just imagining. Mutua created a shoe with a sole that has crystal chips.
When you walk or run in the shoes, these crystal chips generate electricity. You are able to use the energy generated to charge your mobile phone and even your laptop.
In Kenya where electricity is not widespread, the invention is ingenious. With these shoes, more Kenyans and other Africans will be able to enter the world of technology.
Who knows, the inventor may even one day find a way to get these shoes to act like light bulbs. Never say never.
#1 - Cardiopad
Cameroonian engineer Arthur Zang took on the admirable task of creating an invention that would lessen the gap between proper healthcare and the population.
The end result was the Cardiopad. The Cardiopad is a touch screen medical tablet that allows the hearts of persons living in the remotest parts of Africa.
Wireless technology transfers the results to specialists who interpret them. Zang hopes that his invention will help to save the lives of many individuals who without the Cardiopad would not have had access to proper healthcare.
Scientists and doctors in Cameroon have tested the Cardiopad and they all agree that it is a very effective invention. He even copped the African Invention Award in 2016.