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Tech Expert, JIMOH KUDIRAT Tells City People
The crave for the knowledge of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) across the world cannot be over-emphasized as many people consider it as the next phase of revolution. It presently is being discovered across the globe. The advanced countries are already doing everything possible to be part of the revolution. They don’t want to be left behind as they are serious about it, spending heavily to make sure they don’t miss out.
Some wise stakeholders in the Nigerian education sector who understand how it works, are already pushing for Robotics and AI to be taught in schools. And as a result, a few Robot training companies have started coming to Nigeria to help out, so that the most populous country in Africa doesn’t miss out on the next big thing to hit the world. One of these companies is WAAQ Fusion Integrated Services. Lagos-based Ed-Tech start-up founded in 2020 with the aims of improving the existing education system as well as boasts of providing real-world and hands-on learning methodology. They were part of this year’s Total School Support Seminar/Exhibition, TOSSE 2024 held in Lagos, Nigeria.
City People JAMIU ABUBAKAR (08085185886) covered the seminar and had a chat with the co-founder of WAAQ Fusion Integrated Services, Mrs. Jimoh Kudirat. She talked about their mandate of training Nigerian students how to build robots and how such knowledge can be of great benefit to our future leaders. Below are excerpts:
Can you tell us about your company, WAAQ Fusion Integrated Services?
We are a robotics company in Nigeria and we supply schools and cafes with robotics kits. At the same time, we train teachers. We, of course, organize edu-fun robotics camp for children as well. And we attend to fresh graduates and fresh school-leaving students as well. What we focus on mainly is the five pillars of robotics, which has to do with creation of robotics, understanding the artificial intelligence aspect of it, understanding the intelligence of a thing, that is IoT, at the same time learning the STEM, engineering, and the electrical parts of it. We are glad to be here at TOSSE and, of course, we are ready to partner with anyone that is interested in collaborating with us.
What’s the relevance of robotics to schools?
Most of the time we all talk about children learning creativity, learning problem solving, and understanding the innovation of the world. So that is the importance of robotics. It gives the children, or let’s say students, the access to hands-on learning, which improves their innovation and their creativity. And here in Nigeria, we are the country manager for Avishkar Robotics in India. We are open for collaboration.
Ma’am, is there any age limit to learning robotics?
From six years to an adult, let’s say, upward. Six years upward. Of course, there is no cap in that. So the requirements is if you are interested, you show interest, you put a call through to us, and we are ready to take you on the journey.
So how long does it take to go through the training, It depends on your interest. What is important is interest. But let’s say minimum three months, you are good to go.
Why is a robotics and thinking Lab needed in schools?
Most of our schools now are trying to equip themselves with IT gadgets, and educational technology gadgets. So that is one of the reasons we say that it is important that you have an Avishkar kit in your ICT laboratories.
Can those tools be used at home?
Yes, we do. The only area we make sure we focus on is that anyone buying these, we make them know that they are not just toys but educational robots. So, we expect that anyone buying it should, of course, get the knowledge. Though most of the kits come with the app that makes it easier for them to follow online and learn.
What are the benefits of learning about robotics and its operation?
The benefit is that it improves creativity and Innovation, that’s the first thing. You know, most of us are aware of how cars work, how things work, how phones work and so on. Those are the electrical and mechanical gadgets we have at home. But we might not actually understand the mechanical construction that is behind it. So that is the essence of us selling the kits. They help them to know the construction aspect, which has now come to learning the robots, building of robotics. So, most of the gadgets we use are automatically robots. They are seen as robots. They are given instructions to do, you know, a few details we ask them to do, to solve a problem. So another of its benefits is that it improves problem-solving skills. It enhances innovation skills. At the same time, it improves and enhances creativity.
How affordable are these kits?
It’s affordable, I must say. It all depends on the need you’re trying to solve and the understanding that the world is improving. We are already into the technology world. So we can’t afford not to be part of the journey. For us to be here, we have quite a number of schools that are patronising us. We have schools in Lagos, we have in Abuja, we have in Osun State, we have in Kwara, and we have in Oyo State.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE POTENTIALS OF ROBOTS BUILDING
In simple terms, robotics combines science, engineering, and technology to design, construct, operate, and use machines programmed to replicate, substitute, or assist humans in completing tasks of varying complexity. These machines are known as robots.
Robotics is useful in making design, construction, and use of machines (robots) to perform tasks done traditionally by human beings. Robots are widely used in such industries as automobile manufacture to perform simple repetitive tasks, and in industries where work must be performed in environments hazardous to humans. Many aspects of robotics involve artificial intelligence; robots may be equipped with the equivalent of human senses such as vision, touch, and the ability to sense temperature. Some are even capable of simple decision making, and current robotics research is geared toward devising robots with a degree of self-sufficiency that will permit mobility and decision-making in an unstructured environment. Today’s industrial robots do not resemble human beings; a robot in human form is called an android.
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