Kenyan Inventiveness

The old adage "Necessity is the mother of invention" may be more true in Kenya than anywhere else in the world.

Proof? Here are just a few examples of Kenyan ingenuity I saw at the Science and Innovation Week Expo at the Kenyatta International Conference Center in Nairobi today:

 -  a procedure that allows you to charge your cell phone while you walk, as well as to charge multiple cell phones. The inventor embeds an ultra-thin crystal into the sole of your shoe. The chip generates electricity when put under pressure. It's wired to a port you plug the phone charger into, and there is also an attachment with multiple ports for charging several phones at a time. This is a boon in a country with unreliable power, and particularly in areas that have no electricity. People in remote villages often have to travel by foot or hitch a ride to find a place to charge their phones - for a fee, of course.

 -  a crank-operated apparatus to create briquettes for cook stoves by mashing together sawdust and other discarded materials - newspapers, coffee husks, large seed pods, etc. The briquettes are ready to use after drying in the sun for 5-7 days. The inventor also reported the machine could be used as a juicer ("you clean it first," he informed his audience solemnly.)

 - a seed based absorbent derived from a common plant (the inventor would not divulge the name of the plant, and used for: quickly creating Braille copies of drawings and diagrams; a soil conditioner; an absorbent component in sanitary napkins. Still in the testing phase is an anti-diarrheal medication.

 -  remote control via cell phone to unlock a door..

 -  a microscope that can measure the size of stomata (pore openings) on live plant leaves in 30 seconds, plus a procedure to apply a mix of chemicals to shrink the stomata, allowing the plant to retain more water - a critical need in areas with limited rainfall. The procedure is being used on lisianthus, a major flower export.

 -  biometric ATM to deposit and send money. The ATM does a vein scan of your finger for ID, scans any bills you insert, then deposits the amount in a bank account, pays your bills, etc.
The vein scan is considered more secure than a fingerprint scan, which can be lifted and copied.

 - a simple process that can boost eucalyptus seed germination from 20% to 100% and speed up the growth cycle as well. Seeds are removed from the seed pods and soaked in water. They begin germinating in 2 days. Eucalyptus trees are an important source of lumber, firewood, animal feed, biodiesel, and pesticides in Kenya.

The granddaddy, the most far-reaching example of Kenyan ingenuity, is M-Pesa ("mobile money").
M-Pesa, which was launched in 2007 and now has over 6,000 users, is a cell phone based money transfer system. Users go to a local M-Pesa agent - there are thousands are all over the country - and pay to have M-Pesa credit put on the cell phones. They can send some of that credit to any M-Pesa user anywhere in the country. The recipient goes to their M-Pesa agent with their phone and is given that amount of money - to buy a bus ticket, pay a bill, stock up on seeds for the next planting.

Brilliant . . .