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Thérèse Izay Kirongozi, from Congo-Kinshasa, has developed humanoid robots that regulate traffic in Kinshasa (the capital city) and other cities of the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is an industrial engineer in electronics who heads Wotech, the association which is manufacturing these robots. At least 5 of them are regulating traffic in Kinshasa alone.
Second Generation Robots
Source: France 24
First Generation Robots
Sources: Kannah(Getty Images) - Seeker.com - Omicrono.com
The first generation of robots was commissioned in 2013 and cost about 15,000 dollars each, while the latest generation unveiled on march 4, 2015 cost about 27,500 dollars each. They weigh 250 kg each, are 2.5 meters high and made of aluminium to better withstand the equatorial climate. The robots are autonomous thanks to a solar panel placed over their head.
These humanoid traffic robots can rotate their chest and raise their arms like a human traffic officer would do to stop vehicles in one direction, and allow their flow in another direction. Some of these robots can detect pedestrians and are programmed to “speak” to tell them when the road can be crossed or not.
The new generation of robots developed by the inventor has cameras set in their “eyes” and “shoulders” that film traffic continuously. Thanks to the antenna fixed on top of their head, data can be transmitted to a control center via an Internet Protocol (IP) transmission.
Thérèse Izay Izay is already envisioning the manufacturing of robot soldiers, road cleaning robots, robots that can intervene in a toxic environment, etc. She proves that women have an important role to play in the industrialization process of the African continent because they are as talented as men.