Zambian invents artificial intelligence robot (pictures)

LINDA SOKO TEMBO writes

AN artificial intelligence robot called ‘elite’ is being developed in Zambia by Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA employee Reagan Tembo to help in the alternation of things.

Mr Tembo said the robot had the capability of thinking, talking spying and also doing investigations.

He said the robot had been developed with the brain of the baby, and was learning every day and it could also be fed information by the way one interacted with it.

“For example if the robot is put in an environment where people are violent and talk negatively, the robot becomes negative too,” he said.

Mr Tembo said the robot had a brain which was developed and also used Google as a brain if it did not have answers to certain questions asked. 

He said not only did the robot think, it also had the operation component where could be placed at a home and detect a power meter number and was able to switch on and off power using the phone.

“I have been developing this project for a year now and I have been working on the brain, which is one of the hardest part of this project. This year I want to make it move, dance and do other things like serving water. I look forward to it being employed and also given a national identity card,” he said

He thanked ZICTA for helping the youths with innovation programmes through Information Communication Technology (ICT).

Meanwhile ZICTA corporate affairs manager Ngabo Nankonde, commenting on the robot project, said Mr Tembo had not only invent the robot, but had also invented a chip for phones and computers in an event that any of the two items went missing the police were able to trace the items and that so far 20 arrests had been made.  

Ms Nankonde  said as an authority it was promoting ICT regulatory environment which was attracting participation of young people in the sector.

Ms Nankonde said every year they advertised for young people to give them business ideas that could be turned into business entities and that so far from the time the programme started three years ago they had worked with 120 youths.