Other Innovative Projects from Pitching Sessions, Garage Events, Hackathons, Outreach Events etc.
Introduction:
RAN has been engaging with diverse innovators in a bid to increase the quality of innovative projects that can address resilience challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. This is through offering Innovators with the opportunity to pitch their projects to a team of experts at the Innovation Lab, Mentorship programs, Capacity building sessions, and linkages to possibilities for funding, Networking sessions among others. Through engaging in these activities and further interaction with the innovators, the RAN Team has also been privileged to Innovate. Details on: www.ranlab.org
Water:
1. A mobile phone based Water Testing Kit; “Water4lyf”: The Water testing kit is a smart phone mobile application currently running on an android platform and a 3D kit that assesses the quality of drinking water through image capturing and processing. A machine learning algorithm embedded in the application processes and analyzes the image of the water sample taken by the phone camera and provides real time results on the water. Innovators: Nelson Waswa and Peter Nankunda, Email: Nelwa2006@yahoo.co.uk
Health:
2. WinSenga – Feotal Heart Rate Monitor: This is a smartphone-based ultrasound alternative which aims to allow midwives and medical personnel especially in low resource settings who rely on subjectively accurate diagnosis via a fetoscope – an 18th century invention. With the new hardware and app combination, personnel are able to more accurately and effectively monitor the health of unborn children around the time of birth. Innovators: Joshua Okello –@joshuaokello, joshua.okello@cipher256.com, Aaron Tushabe (@tushabeaaron, aarontushabe.com). http://winsenga.org/
3. MakaPads: These are locally manufactured pads, invented in 2004. They have an organic absorbent material made out of papyrus and paper. There is no added chemical during and after manufacturing. Users of MakaPads have affirmatively stated that they neither get skin irritation nor any side effects of any kind. Innovators: Dr. Moses Kizza Musaazi , Senior Lecturer College of Engineering Design Art & Technology -mkmusaazi@yahoo.com, Juliu Nakibuule – julienakibuule@yahoo.co.uk
4. Musawo Drugs: This is a mobile phone-based fake drugs control application that helps to check for counterfeit drugs through SMS notifications and QR code technology. It addresses fake drugs control by sending a scanned unique code from the drug to National Drug Authority database and automatically replies if the drug is genuine or not. The application has additional features like providing some medical drugs information and newsfeed to inform users about any current news on drugs. Innovator: Badru Ssenoga; ssenogab@yahoo.com
5. Automated Intravenous Fluid Flow Rate: The automated IV fluid flow rate control system employs a motor controlled pinch valve to regulate gravity influenced flow, and a motor controlled IV bag pressing mechanism to automatically provide flow rates higher than the maximum gravity influenced flow. The system then alerts medical workers using a buzzer and a light emitting diode. This greatly improves the accuracy of IV fluid flow rates and reduces the work load on workers in short staffed health facilities. Innovators: Zaake W. Semazzi; Email: wilfredsemazzi@yahoo.com
6. KFREE – Breast Cancer Kit: KFREE is an innovation based on a modern physics technique, the Raman spectroscopy. The device passes monochromatic light through the breast and generates a spectrum of the scattered light on the opposite side. This spectrum is analyzed by the smartphone through a camera and a computer program. The spectrum contains information about the matter within the breast being tested and processes the spectrum into a graphical pattern that it scans for components that suggest the likelihood of breast cancer. Innovators: Sentamu Joshua – Joshsent07@gmail.com , David Tusubira, Derrick Luwaga
7. Breast IT using a Hyphen Glove: Breast IT is a mobile and desktop application which carries out early diagnosis of breast cancer by screening the images of the inner breast, taken by a customized Hyphen glove. This is a custom made glove with ultra sound nodes connected to it. The nodes carry out ultra sound imaging of the inner breast, and the images are sent to the adruino board, that converts them to sound and transmits them to the phone through an audio line. It will increase self-breast examination, through early, cheap and painless diagnosis. Innovators: David Mwesigwa –dlmwesigwa@gmail.com
8. eMUSAWO Telemedicine Kit: eMusawo Telemedicine kit is a miniaturized medical kit containing currently 5 digital instruments capable of accurately testing Blood Pressure, Blood Oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, Temperature, BPM, ECG and is a low cost Cloud based interactive Telemedicine System. Data is sent from the sensors to a smartphone via Bluetooth connection or directly to the eMusawo database for storage, analysis and sharing. This mobile kit can be used for different tests and screening and all data is accessible on www.emusawo.com and can be used in offline mode as long as it is connected to a smartphone and data is sent to the cloud when an internet or SMS connection is made. Innovators: Tumuhaise Denis, Asiimwe Paul, Kato Herbert, Dr. Mugisha Alex (Shockdrift Technologies)
9. MAMA-OPE – Pneumonia Kit: This is a biomedical application for diagnosis and continuous monitoring of pneumonia patients. MAMA stands for mother and OPE denotes hope, MAMA-OPE thus symbolizes “Hope for the Mother”. The Mama-Ope is used for diagnosis and monitoring of pneumonia in children, consisting of a wearable (vest) and smartphone application. The vest is interfaced with a smartphone through a Bluetooth connection that hosts an application for analysis, display, archival and remote access of the data. Innovators: Besufekad M Shifferaw – besufekadsm@yahoo.com, Olivia Koburongo – koburongo@gmail.com, Brian Turyabagye
10. Macotuba: Macotuba is a mobile based application (android) designed to diagnose Tuberculosis (TB) by using a mobile phone and breath sensor called the TBNose. The Phone is connected to the TBNose via Bluetooth and as the patient breathes through the TBNose, the doctor presses a button for scanning and the results are sent to the mobile phone for the doctor to review. Innovators: Joshua Wabulo –wabsjosh28@gmail.com
11. Malaria Control System: The project involves the use of massive ultrasound Technology to effectively drive mosquitoes away from homesteads and livestock in Ugandan villages to non-inhabited places, so as to massively and effectively apply insecticides, reducing the spread of malaria.
The system prototype is made of a conveyor belt, on which a spraying arm and piezoelectric material are attached and moved over a village, from one end to the other. The system emits ultrasound to drive the mosquitoes towards a given direction allowing for concentrated spray of chemicals, to kill mosquitoes and their larvae. Innovators: Power Mukisa – powermukisa@gmail.com
12. No Touch Pedal Tap: Thisis a free standing tap connection achieved by modifying the existing water tap system to create a no touch, cost effective solution. This is taking the tippy tap to another level to improve hand hygiene both in medical facilities and general public by removing the fear of contracting infection from touching the tap thus infection prevention and control.It is a free standing tap connection, an accessory that can be fitted on any tap anywhere. Innovators: Grace Nakibaala – gnakibaala@gmail.com
Energy:
13. Awamu – Bio Mass Cooking Energy
TLUD gasifier stoves are biomass fuel stoves using locally available dry biomass for cooking (cleanly) and there after turns them into charcoal that can be used for further cooking. TLUDs reduce amount of biomass fuels used for cooking, have less smoke, start and cook faster. The stoves burn a wide variety of biomass including unconventional agricultural biomass like maize cobs, cassava stems, bamboo, large seed pods, twigs, un-carbonized briquettes etc. that are otherwise viewed as waste. This reduces the rate of deforestation and the time spent by women and children collecting firewood for cooking.
Agriculture:
14. Hydroponic Animal Fodder System – Growing Animal Fodder in Six Days: The Innovators are looking to indigenize the hydroponic unit through local fabrication of hydroponic production fodder infrastructure to make it cost effective for rural farmers. Hydroponic Fodder system involves the germination of cereal seeds such as barley, wheat, rice, oats, millet, sorghum and so on, in a specially created and controlled environment without soil, which sprouts in six days into a high quality, disease free, voluminous grass and root combination that is very lush and a highly nutritious animal feed. This green fodder is extremely high in protein and metabolisable energy.
15. Solar Powered Egg Incubator: Harnessing solar energy has been gaining significance as a new and continuous supply of alternative power source. Innovators have designed a solar powered egg Incubator that has two separate chambers for hatching chicken eggs. It has the capacity to hatch about 6 chicken eggs. Energy is trapped from the solar plate stored in a battery and distributed inside the Incubator chambers.
GIS Hackathon Projects
1. EpiD Mapper: This is a mobile and web based reporting tool to tackle disease epidemic outbreaks in Uganda. It maps out areas showing extreme weather conditions as a result of climate change, analyses resources distributed to these areas, which are then recorded in a central reporting platform.
2. Landslide Susceptibility App: This is a landslide susceptibility map indicating areas in Uganda that are more susceptible to landslides and can display accessibility routes to these susceptible areas
3. “Kuuma App”: A mobile application that reports Deforestation Incidents by scanning images through a mobile phone application.
Innovation Garage Inventions:
RAN partnered with the Innovation Consortium group, a combination of engineers with practical experience to run Monthly Innovations Garage sessions. This is a great platform for innovators to build and get quick fixes of their engineering projects collaboratively with very creative and brave individuals. Projects receive considerable attention including re-inventing some parts of the prototype or suggesting alternatives that could be less costly or more efficient and using readily available materials. New ideas that have emerged out of Garage ideation sessions include:
1. “Robust Radio Towers to support the community radio (RootIO) antenna and other radio antenna”. During the pilot phase, the RootIO innovators team experienced challenges in procurement and setting up a low cost radio tower. Garage attendees brainstormed a low cost Radio Tower to bring down the cost from $3000 to approximately $500 and increasing the length of the tower from 12 to 25 meters. We are designing a Tripod Tower with 3 pillars made of galvanized pipes.
2. Inventions on Ultrasound Malaria Control Towers: An Engineering student innovator presented a “Malaria Control System” involving the use of ultrasound technology to effectively drive away mosquitoes from homesteads. This was an expensive mechanism and the design had limitations. Participants of the Garage proposed; “Repel or Attract and Kill mechanism“ to wipe out mosquitoes. The new designs brainstormed included;
Low cost Towers made of timber or use of existing towers or trees onto which the ultrasound frequency system is attached that attracts mosquitoes, a system that can decrease in wavelength at certain intervals. This system is placed in breeding areas of mosquitoes like swamps and at peak times when mosquitoes are active, a design sensor is embedded as an accessory to detect number of mosquitoes that have accumulated and to be sprayed at once.
The second design consideration is a cross tower with a transmitting circuitry, a spraying tank is attached, a sprinkler and dozing pump. Consider 2 pumps and regulator ball valve where the dozing pump mixes the chemical for spraying. To eliminate a spraying pump in areas where there is power, there is an option of mosquitoes being trapped at one point in a wire mesh that electri-circuits them.
As at December 2015
Contact us:
Plot 30 Upper Kololo Terrace, P.O Box 7072, Kampala Uganda
Tel (Office): +256 414343597, E-mail: info@ranlab.org, Web: www.ranlab.org