The Make Philosophy continues to blossom,G. Paschal Zachary writes in the NYTimes:
“A lot of people get lost in the world of computer simulation,” says Bill Burnett, executive director of the product design program at Stanford. “You can’t simulate everything.”
Using computers to model the physical world has become increasingly common; products as diverse as cars and planes, pharmaceuticals and...
From GWINN covered earlier:
Tomilola Awoniyi from Nigeria was recognised and applauded for her infant and child 'LIZVIC formula food' which includes ingredients and spices of high nutritional value.Tomilola developed this formula after the birth of her first child when she discovered that most of the available infant formula could not produce the desired effect on the growth and wellbeing of her...
Fabrication in South Africa writes about the need for a "Maker" Culture:
The biggest problem with doing your own fabrication is the tools. Most of the tools such as laser cutters and mills are very expensive and the ordinary person/student doesn't have access to these tools...The aim of this blog is to discuss various options for fabrication in South Africa. I'm not talking about major...
Omatek covered earlier, raises N6bln ($51mln) in their recently concluded IPO.
A $100 Million Legacy Africa Alpha Hedge Fund Launched By INTL Consilium and First City Monument Bank.- HedgCo
Oson Chemist describes itself as "...a leader in pharmaceutical distribution and supply chain management..."
Emmanuel Banza a mechanic, describes his mill for crushing cassava leaves,a necessary food...
In
Finance,
Health,
markets,
hardware,
funds,
food,
entrepreneurship,
Innovation,
manufacturing,
fabrication,
invention
From the TED Website:
Stanford researcher Kwabena Boahen is looking for ways to mimic the brain's supercomputing powers in silicon -- because the messy, redundant processes inside our heads actually make for a small, light, superfast......
TED fellow Erik Hersman reports at Afrigadget:
Gikomba is a part of Nairobi that is well known for metal working. I had been meaning to come this way for a while, and today afforded me the perfect opportunity to drop down into Gikomba and see what kind of enterprising activities Kenyans were up to...I ran into a George Odhiambo, a bulk fabricator of everything from wheelbarrows to chisels. The...
"...Appropedia is a living library of appropriate technology and open design, also covering sustainability and broader international development issues including public health, water, sanitation, community development, agriculture, renewable energy and urban...
In
Education,
development,
Agriculture,
Sanitation,
income generation,
science,
food,
entrepreneurship,
Innovation,
design,
manufacturing,
fabrication,
invention,
industrialization
Seyi Oyesola co-inventor of the Hospital-in-the-Box discusses Off-Grid healthcare at TED......
Lebônê's "energy from dirt" solution "...combines efficient lighting technology with a simple energy source readily available to all Africans in the form of microbial fuel cells. These inexpensive fuel cells run on animal and plant waste and naturally occurring soil microbes, and are framed around a flexible substrate (wood, steel, etc) that can vary by geographic availability. This is truly...
"...The African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in collaboration with the TED (technology, entertainment design) Prize today announced the launch of NextEinstein.org, a website in support of the global campaign to unlock and nurture scientific talent across Africa.
NextEinstein is a program that provides the opportunity for Africans to develop as independent, creative problem solvers...
Science in Africa reported in 2003 on the work of Menker Wolde Kiross:
Menker believes there is great potential in developing effective farm equipment in the country(Ethiopia)...The latest and potential bestseller is a foot-driven water pump, which cost around US $1,000 to develop. The original idea was based on a design from Kenya that Menker modified.Many of the ideas developed at his workshop...
From the TED Blog, at TED 2008 in Monterey Neil Turok announced his TED Prize wish. He calls for the unlocking and nurturing of the continent's creative......
Neil Turok founder The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) whose winning of a TED prize was posted earlier, announced his prize wish.From the TED prize site:
My wish is that you help us unlock and nurture scientific talent across Africa, so that within our lifetimes we are celebrating an African Einstein.”
Continue reading...
Chris Anderson at TED 2008 introduces the TED Africa team led by TED Global fellow, Kelo Kubu to the TED audience. The conferences theme poses the question:
What If the smartest thinkers greatest visionaries and most inspired teachers from Africa and the world came together to share,spread and nurture groundbreaking ideas that could help propel the continent beyond the tipping point into a new...
Yoseph Seyoum CEO of PhantomPlate, is the inventor of Photoblocker a spray that can be applied vehicle license plates. It "...renders red-light and speed cameras useless. The spray can be applied to license plates to make them hyper-reflective and unreadable when the camera flashes. The Product is a hit with drivers...",Loneinventor.
See related news report:
via Selam...
SolarCooking profiles Seyoum Goitom:
Seyoum Goitom is a 38 year old inventor from Eritrea that has designed and built a number of eco-friendly devices. He is one of the most experienced and talented mechanics in his home town, in spite of not having attended any kind of technical college. Seyoum taught himself nearly everything he knows about repairing gadgets...his latest idea: a solar powered...
"...The Grassroots Reporting Project is a plan to find, equip and train more AfriGadget reporters in the field throughout Africa...AfriGadget’s goal is to leverage the power of current and emerging technology such as video cameras, digital cameras, laptops and phones to bring quality content online and eventually on...
From the University of Witwatersrand newsroom:
Pharmaceutical scientists at Wits University have developed several innovative drug delivery solutions that will revolutionalise how humans take their medication. Prof. Viness Pillay and his team from the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology have made technical advancements in polymeric science, formulation stability and drug delivery design over...
Founded by Nwanua Elumeze covered earlier, Aniomagic is a company that blends fashion with computer science. Products include "washable, interactive clothing." Their Collaire accessory, "...comes with six lights that blink in cool patterns. The more you rub your pet, the faster the lights flash! If you leave it alone for a while, the collaires automatically turn off, until you rub them again....
"...The RepRap project aims to create a sort of general-purpose numerically-controlled machine tool that can be deployed in the developing world...",Wills Nanotech. The "self-replicating rapid prototyper", or RepRap for short, is a machine that literally prints 3D objects from a digital design...If Dr Bowyer's (the inventor's) vision is realised there could be profound implications for the...
Newsweek profiles Sossina Haile:
Her research formed the foundation for a
A Pasadena, Calif., start-up called Superprotonic—founded by two of her former grad students— which will ship the first commercial prototypes to energy-systems makers. The output is barely enough to power a 100-watt bulb, but hopes are high that the small start will someday produce powerful fuel cells for commercial use....
Afrigadget highlights a prototype power generator fabricated by Cedrick Ngalande:
This gadget (powered by sugar and yeast) will be very ideal to developing countries like Africa where electricity is scarce. As you know, the growth of cell phone is fastest in Africa. The problem most Africans have is that they cannot charge those cell phones due to lack of electricity. Some have to walk long...
Evelyn Mungai founder of the Evelyn College of Design pioneered design education in East Africa. She discusses entrepreneurship(pdf):
We must all do what we can to show our people that being an entrepreneur is a noble thing. To create wealth, jobs, exports, intellectual property and yes, profit, is OK.Political leaders must proclaim it, the media must do so, and we ourselves in the private...
From the TED Blog
Chris Anderson and Emeka Okafor write: We're delighted to tell you that there will be another TED conference in Africa next year, and that we hope to make it an annual event on the continent! TEDAfrica will be held in Cape Town, South Africa, September 29-October 1, 2008 (save the date!), and will follow the format of this year's TEDGlobal conference in Arusha, Tanzania....
NextBillion profiles backyard inventors in India:
"In farm sheds and machine shops and on small rural plots, India's back-yard inventors are coming up with creations that their backers hope will make it big, solve a few of the world's problems, boost India's exports and continue cutting the country's dismal poverty rate.",Chicago......
Betumi Blog profiles Culinary Entrepreneurs:
Everywhere I turn, there are enterprising African culinary innovators from Africa like Yeti. I often feature them in this blog (like chemical engineer Yaw Adusei and his fufu flour or Cameroonian Julie Ndjee and her husband Albert and their "Neilly's Ultimate Seasoning".) There's also Tomilola Awoniyi, a woman I learned about through Bola Olabisi,...
Continuing on our focus of underutilized resources we take a look at the Baobab Fruit Company which manufactures a range of Baobab-Derived products. Which include:
-Baobab fruit pulp Native & Micronised
-Dried and micronised Baobab leaves
-Lipoid extracts from the Baobab seed
-Glycolic extracts
New Agriculturist reports that: The company conducted a three-year study highlighted some local...
WhiteAfrican hosts the 3rd Carnival of African Enterprising.The first one was held at African Path,while African Loft presented the second edition:
John Wesonga on the importance of African technologists to be innovators not imitators.Ken Teyie claims that the United States of Africa is already here in practice, using technology and banking to show how business dictates change. Joshua Goldstein...
Some of you might already know that I was the Program Director for the recently concluded TED Global event that took place Arusha Tanzania. It was for me a most fulfilling and life enriching experience. We have I believe, just witnessed the beginnings and evolving creation of a new African tapestry across the range of human endeavor. As intimately involved as I was in the process I still found...