Plastic Mannequin-Based Robotic Telepresence for Remote Clinical Ward Rounding

Mobile robotic telepresence is a potential solution to addressing the problem of access to quality healthcare delivery in rural areas. Despite the availability of this system in its different forms, the capital and operating costs are unffordable for people living in rural areas, particularly in emerging economies. In this paper, the authors reduced the cost of mobile robotic telepresence solution for remote ward rounding using plastic mannequin and solar photovoltaic technology. An IP camera was fixed in each of the eye sockets of the plastic mannequin. These cameras are connected to a mini-computer embedded in the plastic mannequin. A Wi-Fi module establishes an Internet connection between remote physicians and rural healthcare facilities. In addition, most of these communities are not even connected to the power grid. Therefore, the system is powered by a solar photovoltaic energy source to provide a cheap and reliable power system. Another unique feature of this solution is that it gives the patient a better impression of the physical presence of a physician. This development will increase the adoption of robotic telepresense for remote clinical ward rounding in developing countrie

Development of a Solar Photovoltaic Vulcanizing Machine towards Extreme Poverty Eradication in Africa

The number of African families living in extreme poverty has continued to increase even though the proportion of the citizens in such situation in this region declined in recent years. This is traceable to unemployment, underemployment, and income inequalities that have generated social unrest as joblessness persist. However, entrepreneurship through small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) has the capacity to drive economic growth and national development through job creation, income empowerment, and poverty eradication. Roadside vulcanizing business in towns and cities of Africa is a viable job that can be run by any age group and it requires no formal training or long apprenticeship to develop expertise. Unfortunately, the cost of running the fossil fuel-powered vulcanizing machine will leave the technician with little or no profit due to the recent fuel subsidy removal by some countries like Nigeria. In addition, overdependence on fossil fuel as a primary source of energy promotes the negative effects of carbon dioxide and other global warming emissions on environment, climate, and public health. In this paper, considering the abundant solar energy potential across all the Sub-Saharan countries, we designed and constructed a solar photovoltaic vulcanizing machine as a practical means of eradicating extreme poverty in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda. The implementation of this project will create employment opportunities for millions of Africans, reduce social violence and crime, provide affordable and clean energy, and save our planet

Smart Vehicular Traffic Management System using RFID Technology

Public places are often characterized with incessant traffic congestion, especially during special occasions and events, as large number of automobiles attempt to use the same parking lot concurrently. This usually result in confusion and dispute, auto crashes, waste of time and resources, and release of more carbon into the ecosystem. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology offers effective solution for distant object identification without requiring a line of sight. In this paper, the authors developed an intelligent, cost-effective, and eco-friendly park management system for scalable traffic control using RFID and Solar photovoltaic (SPV) technologies. Pre-registered and visiting vehicles are assigned tags to access designated parking lots. However, large-scale implementation of the technology for intelligent park management requires a stable power supply with no threat to our ecosystem. SPV-powered UHF RFID readers transmit vehicle information via wireless data links to a host system application at the SPV-powered central database management system for further processing. This system will ensure effective traffic control during peak periods in order to avoid crashes, save time and resources, and as well save our plane

Development of a Wireless Power Transfer System using Resonant Inductive Coupling

Access to power is a fundamental requirement for the effective functioning of any electrical/electronic circuit. The conduit of transfer of power can be either physical (wires, cables etc.) of non-physical (i.e. wireless). Wireless power transfer is a broad term used to describe any means used to transmit power to electricity dependent systems and devices. In this paper, a wireless power transfer system is developed to provide an alternative to using power cords for electrical/electronic devices. With this technology, challenges like damaged or tangled power cords, sparking hazards and the extensive use of plastic and copper used in cord production are resolved and also the need for batteries in non-mobile devices is eliminated. In this system, electromagnetic energy is transmitted from a power source (transmitter) to an electrical load (receiver) via resonant inductive coupling. The performance achieved is a good indication that power can still be transmitted over a medium range. In addition, possible ways of improving the efficiency of the system are discussed

Development of Smart Assistive DTMF Home Automation System for Ageing Population

According to recent statistics, there is an increasing growth in the percentage of older persons in almost every part of the world today is recorded. The rate at which the proportion of older persons increases in the population of developing countries is much faster than what is experienced in developed regions. Specifically, this trend is more predominant in developing economies with relatively much lower level of socio-economic development, particularly in Africa. In response to this, modern technological advances in semiconductor technology and wireless communication can be significantly exploited to drive the economic and social paradigm shifts associated with population ageing towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa. In this paper, we designed and implemented a cost-effective smart assistive DTMF home automation system that utilizes a tele-remote circuit to control home appliances via existing cellular communication networks. This system adopted a GSM module as feedback device. Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF) tones generated from keypads of mobile cell phones remotely control home devices and appliances. An integrated DTMF receiver decodes the tones and processes the information to control several devices using a relay switching system with an effective feedback mechanism. The digitallycontrolled system overcomes the limited range of infrared and radio remote controls with the aid of available cellular communication systems. Therefore, older people of the populace can be provided with better ease of living at home by minimizing their movement and dependency at affordable cost

Free Energy Generation using Neodymium Magnets: An Off-Grid Sustainable Energy Solution for Sub-Saharan Africa

Energy is pivotal to almost all of the challenges and opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the grid-based power generation capacity is grossly insufficient and unreliable to meet the increasingly growing energy demands in the region. Low incomes and exorbitant cost of energy make energy unaffordable for citizens, despite the availability of renewable resources. Low-income countries can readily harness the cost-effectiveness and the availability advantages offered by free energy option to meet the continuously growing energy demand in the region, without any adverse effect on the environment. In this paper, we designed and developed an affordable neodymium-based free energy generator that operates continuously without depending on any external source. The repulsive force between the neodymium magnets produce a torque which serves as a prime mover for rotor blades. The energy generated is transferred to a charge controller connected to the battery bank. The battery supplies the inverter with a direct current (DC) input voltage for electricity generation in alternating current (AC) form. The generated electrical power is distributed to consumers. The results of prototype testing shows that this energy option is affordable and it is not subject to climatic conditions. Therefore, this alternative energy source is a potential off-grid solution to the energy challenge in sub-Saharan Africa

Digital Speed Control of DC Motor for Industrial Automation using Pulse Width Modulation Technique

Precise speed control is an important requirement for efficient industrial automation. Direct current (DC) motors have been extensively used for this purpose. The conventional method employs analog circuits to control the speed of the DC motor by varying the voltage of the armature while the field voltage is kept constant. In this paper, a digital speed control of DC motor using pulse width modulation technique was implemented by replacing analog circuit with an Atmel AT89S52 microcontroller circuit. An experimentation of the design showed that the DC motor can run forward motoring, forward regeneration, reverse motoring and reverse regeneration. This digital approach proved to have increased precision and greater control efficiency. Thus, a centralized control of several motors can also be achieve

Smart Weather Station for Rural Agriculture using Meteorological Sensors and Solar Energy

Access to short term weather forecasts is still limited in local communities of Africa. Unlike short term forecasts, seasonal forecasts based on global and regional climate models do not give localized and timely information relevant to farmers’ needs. This paper presents a cost-effective, solar-powered automated weather station as a veritable system for weather forecasting that is relevant to solving agricultural decisions in rural communities. The developed system significantly reduced the cost of obtaining accurate, localized scientific weather information by interfacing various meteorological sensors to microcontrollers. On-site users can access the weather information via the LCD unit on the system while the data is sent to out-of-site user through Short Messaging Service (SMS) of mobile communication system. This approach will effectively ensure food security in arid and semi-arid African countrie