Senegalese engineering students are throwing themselves at the West African state ’ s growing coronavirus problem with inventions such as automatic sanitiser dispensers and medical robots .
Youngsters from a top engineering school in the capital Dakar have turned their technical skills toward easing pressure on the wards — and they are already in talks with hospitals over some of their innovations .
One example is a small robot, dubbed ‘ Dr. Car’ , which will be able to measure patients’ blood pressure and temperature, according to students from Dakar ’ s Ecole Superieure Polytechnique (ESP ).
The university is considered one of West Africa ’ s best for engineering and technology, and is highly selective , with 28 nationalities represented among its 4 , 000 students .
Gianna Andjembe , a masters student in electrical engineering , demonstrates how an automatic hand -sanitiser dispenser he designed works at Dakar ’ s Ecole Superieur de Polytechnique (ESP ) in Dakar on May 8 , 2020 . ( Photo by Seyllou / AFP )
Lamine Mouhamed Kebe , one of the students who conceived the robot, said the machine would reduce the exposure of doctors and nurses to infected patients and use of expensive protective gear .
“At a certain point … we realised that medical equipment was limited , ” the 23- year- old added. “We can do something ”.
Guided by a mounted camera and controlled via an app , doctors will also be able to communicate with patients through the robot , Kebe said , potentially allowing them to treat people isolated in hard- to -reach rural areas .
Senegal ’ s coronavirus outbreak pales in comparison to the situation in virus - stricken Europe and the United States .
But after a slow start, confirmed cases in the nation of some 16 million people are increasing .
And as with other poor countries in the region, there are fears that Senegal is ill equipped to handle a large outbreak.
Authorities have recorded more than 1 , 700 cases to date, including 19 fatalities . Hospital staff in Dakar are also beginning to contract COVID - 19.
Faced with an increased threat , frontline Senegalese doctors are taking the young engineers seriously .
An initial prototype designed by the students was essentially a small mobile trolley , designed to carry equipment or meals to patients.
But Abdoulaye Bousso , the head of an emergency ward in a Dakar hospital, asked to redesign it to include mechanical arms capable of conducting medical tests — an upgrade the students are working on now .
“It ’ s a whole process , ” Bousso said , adding that the robot could cut down on their use of expensive bibs and gowns, which must be thrown away.
– Focus on practicality - Ndiaga Ndiaye , an ESP professor in charge of marketing the inventions , said that the university has long emphasised practical projects and entrepreneurship , which meant students were poised to act when the virus broke out .
The robot is “ far from being a gadget , ” he said , and could be produced at a larger scale once ready.
“We are a public institution . There is one concept that binds us all together , and that is service to the community , ” he said .
Other students have devised simpler devices that they also hope will battle the disease in Senegal .
Gianna Andjembe, a masters student in electrical engineering , has designed an automatic hand - sanitiser dispenser that he said could reduce the need for staff in schools and hospitals to supervise hand - washing.
“It ’ s very simple , it’ s basic, ” said the 26- year- old .
“As scientists, as engineers , we have to meet the challenges and really take our destiny into our own hands, ” Andjembe added.
The coronavirus has upended ESP students ’ lives .
Lectures are now held over video and students who used to tinker in labs until late at night must now rush home owing to a dusk- to - dawn curfew .
But the crisis has also given the young engineers a sense of purpose.
“What has changed is the responsibility , ” robotmaker Kebe said before adding that the students also felt “much more patriotism

AFP

https://punchng.com/senegal-students-invent-automatic-sanitiser-dispensers/

What's up?, my Nigeria people, this could encourage us that we can also do things. This is inspiring albeit in a subtle way,Our scientist and engineers pls stay woke!

God bless Africa, please heal the world.

I love Africa