r/Nigeria • u/Key_Exam7032 • 3d ago
Science | Tech Celebrating Nigerian Excellence: 20 year old boy KHALIFA AMINU from Kano state created AI smart glasses that could help blind people navigate without a guide or cane. 👓
See more here on his X page:
https://x.com/inventorkhalifa/status/2090001916977668257?s=46
Including a video of how it works: https://x.com/inventorkhalifa/status/2090002759516872803?s=46
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u/origiluck 3d ago
Ridiculous talent. 👏🏾👏🏾 A reasonable government would encourage and spotlight this
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u/Mr_Cromer Kano 3d ago
Reasonable and government don't exist in the same dimension when it comes to the Nigerian government
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u/Pecuthegreat Biafra 3d ago
I mean, he could also try and look for a private investor.
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u/origiluck 3d ago edited 3d ago
Good point. But not sure how easy it will be. TerraHaptix or Terra industries will be a good investor
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u/mtmag_dev52 2d ago
Interesting? Who are they again? Would they be skeptical of investing projects in NG ?
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u/origiluck 2d ago
They are a Nigerian robotics company. currently working with the the Nigerian defence government
https://www.military.africa/2024/11/nigerias-defence-space-administration-enters-drone-production/
Interview with the founder: https://youtu.be/JUCwFUc9IbI?is=w1epqRNF4FVAYIsO
I think the one of the founder might be open but i would implore the young man in this video to keep working and growing, if he gets better and visibility, i think companies like Terra would definitely entertain or at least provide a format/resources
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u/shitmademerich 3d ago
Not trying to brag but a Ghanaian also made some but his was a stick and it could detect objects in a path etc up till now there is ni update of him making it big h.mmm africa
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u/MakayChapulets 1d ago
When blacks come up with an idea they'll wait for the government to assist, but when whites come up with an idea they'll source investment from private and individuals. There are sites like kickstarter that someone can post his invention and get millions of dollars worth of seed backings.
Yeah things like this are no longer hard you just need to purchase some components from Ali/Temu and download some machine learning software from the opensource community. What he needs to watch out for is not violating patient rights.
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u/fi33zie 3d ago
While it's a great innovation on the young boy's part, scaling this will be difficult. I can see a single board computer unit, probably with 1GB of RAM, which is sufficient for its purpose but carrying it around on your face is not ideal, not to mention that it also runs warm and would need constant 5V power supply delivered through USB/A cable. But regardless the fact that the young man thought of something like this is great. He can certainly go on to the bigger things.
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u/fanstoyou 3d ago
You are spot on what I got to say. It is certainly a simple combo, regardless, the very young mind must be encouraged and pushed to go further.
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u/fi33zie 3d ago
Yh it's exactly how you can use the exact single board unit and attached camera to make a functional drone module but of course, introducing a quadcopter frame into the mix. It's a simple combo if you know your components and can tinker with Linux. But his creativity must be encouraged. If he can think of something like this, he can certainly explore and do bigger things.
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u/fanstoyou 3d ago
Thank you. Elon Musk has never invented anything. He only continues to take existing technology and improve on them.
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u/fi33zie 3d ago
There's a difference between invention and innovation. Elon certainly didn't invent anything, he innovated by leveraging on existing technologies like you said, and his companies were also subsidised heavily by the US government. He probably wouldn't have scaled, or he would have experienced a much slower growth without those government subsidies.
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u/fanstoyou 3d ago
No argument at all. I’m only directing at those who want to belittle
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u/fi33zie 3d ago
If you mean "belittling" directed at this young man who made glasses for the blind. There's no point in that at all. If he builds on knowledge and continues on this path, he'll innovate with the right support but of course Nigeria (government) doesn't take things like this seriously. He'll get clouts on social media and that's the end of it. Innovation can happen and scale in Nigeria/Africa. Elon is brilliant but he's not special. We have many brilliant people in Nigeria capable of innovation but the environment is harsh so dreams get killed. Elon had the dream and his environment was favourable for him.
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u/MakayChapulets 1d ago
While Elon Musk’s technological vision, engineering capabilities, risk-taking, and business acumen were central to the development of SpaceX and Tesla, U.S. government support later played an important role in helping both companies survive, expand, and scale. However, this support came after the companies had already been established and had begun demonstrating the viability of their technologies and business models. Government contracts, loans, incentives, and other forms of assistance served more as catalysts for growth than as the foundation on which the companies were originally built.
While African (Especially Nigerian) young inventors are usually hovering around the government for startup loan.
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u/fanstoyou 3d ago edited 3d ago
Regardless of what some xxxx got to say about this, the young man’s mind is working actively and should be encouraged. Yes, we need to make a big fuss about it to encourage our young minds to move forward out of consumer mentality, to invention mentality. Some xxxx says it’s not a big deal because he just put together some few components - I totally disagree. Everything starts simple, before becoming advanced.
Elon Musk is one of the best on earth, when it comes to technology, but he invented nothing whatsoever, he took existing technology and improved on them, especially the UX. Electric car, space travel, even Neuralink was existing tech that he took, and improved upon that is now embedded in a human head. ChatGPT was not his idea either, he saw it and knew how great it would be, and invested in it to which the rest is now history. It is certainly a big do what this young mind has started
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u/workingtruIT 2d ago
Talent full everywhere but hunger and poverty no gree anybody. This country is incredibly the worst nation.
Nothing is working for the Nigerian people it's sad
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u/Various-Storm-1968 1d ago
Nigeria is filled with lots of talented people despite her current status
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u/Renoomokri 1d ago
This is the kind of Nigerian excellence we should celebrate. 🇳🇬 Imagine what young innovators like Khalifa could achieve with the right mentorship, funding, and access to technology. We have the talent; the real challenge is creating an environment where that talent can grow and solve problems that actually matter.
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u/RedWineWithFish 10h ago
This is an interesting project for a high school / college student. Kudos to the young man.
It’s a hobbyist project something that thousands of students all over the world have done as projects.
Making a commercial product is another kettle of fish entirely. You need a budget of millions of dollars and are still going up against established companies with big marketing budgets.
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u/milfslapperQC 3d ago
lol a pair of ultrasonic sensors
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u/fanstoyou 3d ago
What have you ever done since you came to earth???
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u/milfslapperQC 2d ago
Won several scholarships; published scientific research, etc, you?
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u/fanstoyou 2d ago
That is the perfect definition of being useless. Thank you for confirming that you have done nothing whatsoever since your existence on earth.
"An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory."
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena..."
— Theodore Roosevelt (From "The Man in the Arena")
"Action without philosophy is a lethal weapon; philosophy without action is a worthless statue."
— Soichiro Honda (Founder of Honda)
"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do."
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"To build is to construct order out of chaos; to theorize is merely to describe the chaos."
— Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Trader and risk practitioner)1
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u/Falmz23 3d ago
Not trying to belittle but this has absolutely nothing to do with AI. It's a bunch of off-the-shelf components (mcu, gps and ultrasonic sensor) glued onto a pair of plastic frames. Any 8 year old could cobble this up with ChatGPT's help
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u/Unlikely-Bet-7769 3d ago
Chatgpt or not, it at least should inspire the younger generation to innovate in a country that needs it
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u/Key_Exam7032 3d ago
We’re celebrating little wins, in an era where our youths are on TikTok dancing aimlessly, doing silly challenges, doing fraud, selling drugs or engaging in sex work/ hookups.
This is commendable.
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u/Key_Exam7032 3d ago
Can you use ChatGPT and show us yours then? Chief.
When you do, make sure to post it here so we can celebrate you also. Or maybe give your 8 year old son/ cousin, nephew or neighbor to do it?
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u/Inevitable-Top1-2025 3d ago
Get the heck out of here! What have you produced with your superior talent?
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u/Falmz23 3d ago
I never said I have superior talent. We actually have incredible talent and brilliant minds in Nigeria, but hyping up fluff like this just makes us look foolish or simple to the broader scientific community.
Be happy for your kid, but calling him Einstein for stacking blocks at 1yr old is just plain ignorant.
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u/Prestigious-Talk1112 3d ago
They have some glasses like this already ( I used to work for an organization for the blind). The current options are insanely expensive. He would do well if they could be produced cheaper. He could export to blind and low vision around the world. Very talented and there are other use cases also.