A 21-YEAR-OLD Computer Engineering student at Baze University, Abuja, Isah Barde-Auwal, has invented QX Alpha, a humanoid robot designed to solve real-world problems.
Barde-Auwal, a final-year student at the institution, who hails from Kano State, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Kano.
He said it was the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) that awarded him a scholarship due to his potential in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics under the Technology Innovation Support programme.
According to him, in 2022 he invented a humanoid exoskeleton remote control robot, which he presented to the NITDA Director-General, adding that the innovation earned him the scholarship.
The final year student said that with the equipment and tools now available to him, he had built QX Alpha, one of the most advanced humanoid robots.
“Alhamdulillah, my humanoid robot is one of the most advanced in Nigeria using industrial-grade technology.
“QX Alpha is a robotics and AI ecosystem that I am building to develop affordable technologies that can solve real-world problems, especially the challenges we face in Africa.
“It started from my curiosity about robotics, but as I went deeper into the field, I realised that robotics and AI can be applied to many of the challenges around us,” he said.
Barde-Auwal further revealed that the main technology used in the invention was the Smart Machine for Autonomous and Remote Control Technology (SMART).
“It is an advanced, industrial-grade humanoid robot built on the Robot Operating System (ROS).
“It can interact, communicate, move around, and operate in both autonomous and teleoperation modes, with the initial focus being on security applications.
“For security applications, we wouldn’t deploy the humanoid in its current human-like form,” he said.
According to him, the body will be redesigned to suit the environment and mission, making it stronger and more rugged while keeping the same core robotics platform.
“The robot could operate autonomously or be remotely controlled, and can be adapted for tasks such as surveillance, bomb detection, and operating in dangerous environments where it may be unsafe to send humans.
“I also realised that I cannot solve all these problems alone. That was what motivated me to think beyond just building robots for myself.
“I want to create a platform where other young people who are interested in robotics can learn, get the resources they need, and actually build advanced systems themselves,” he said.
According to Barde-Auwal, for most of his projects, he uses a combination of locally available materials and components that he imports. (NAN)
