I was invited to visit Buni, an innovation hub in Dar Es Salaam. This is an open office for young innovators and entrepreneurs. The facilities include a meeting room, training room, computers, and a maker space.
The smart houses in the video are part of a recent project which aimed to encourage young women to explore technology. Each smart house has an Arduino board as a mini computer, sensors, and electrical items like lights. If movement is detected inside this tiny smart house an action will follow as programmed e.g. turn the lights on. In the maker space, computer waste is recycled into plastic ready for 3D printing. The design is drawn using a 3D program on the computer. The information is passed to the 3D printer and slowly built up layer by layer.
It was very encouraging to see young people being supported as entrepreneurs. We discussed the potential for technology to impact education. They were very positive and keen to see rapid change in the way the next generation is educated. The concept of games in education was very popular. I was invited to connect with more like minded people and organizations here in Tanzania and look forward to more inspiration. See the Buni website for more information about their recent projects.
Visit: www.buni.or.tz