Africans, especially Nigerians, have been contributing to the current revolution hitting the science world. Oshiorenoya Agabi, a Nigerian inventor based in Silicon Valley, has developed a computer (Koniku Kore) that can identify the smell of explosives and aid in bomb detection. According to a report on IT-NEWS-AFRICA, the Nigerian inventor unveiled his modem-sized technology which uses mice neurons at the TEDGlobal conference in Tanzania.
As reported, the device is made from a mixture of living neurons and silicon, with sensors that can detect and recognise smells. Agabi believes that his technology could be used to replace traditional airport security and could provide the brain for future robots.
“You can give the neurons instructions about what to do – in our case we tell it to provide a receptor that can detect explosives”, he told BBC.
IT-NEWS-AFRICA further revealed that the device could also be used to detect illness by sensing markers of a disease in the air molecules that a patient gives off.
“This device can live on a desk and we can keep them alive for a couple of months. We think that the processing power that is going to run the robots of the future will be synthetic biology-based and we are laying the foundations for that today.”
Agabi believes his startup company, which was launched over a year ago and has raised $1m (£800,000) in funding, could lead the world into a future where devices such as Koniku Kore could be discreetly used at various points in airports, eliminating the need for queues to get through airport security.
According to Agbbi, the company is already making profits of $10m upwards and has customers in the aviation and pharmaceuticals industries.
