AI’s Last Mile
Physical AI: From Newsline to Production As a young man, I never missed Newsline on NTA on Sunday nights. Frank Olize’s voice belonged to the weekend as surely as Sunday rice. If you remember that voice, welcome to the club: our knees now forecast rain better than the weather service. And if you remember […]
AI's Last Mile: From Prototype to Product
Nigeria is on the brink of a new era of artificial intelligence, but one that is more tangible and practical than the autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots capturing headlines. The focus should be on physical AI – machines that sense, decide and act in the real world to address everyday problems.
These machines, such as solar-powered tire compressors for vulcanizers and drone-based healthcare delivery systems, demonstrate the potential of physical AI to make a tangible difference in Nigeria. However, turning these prototypes into commercially viable products requires more than just brilliant minds; it demands economic viability and a business model that can sustain the machine's operation.
The challenge lies in making these machines cost-effective over time. For example, a solar compressor for vulcanizers must prove to be cheaper than the daily petrol consumption of the existing machine after a year. This economic viability must be demonstrated to persuade vulcanizers to adopt the new technology.
Nigeria has made some progress in this area, with companies like TerraHaptix and Koolboks successfully developing and deploying physical AI solutions. However, there is still room for more innovation and entrepreneurship in this space. The Nigerian government's efforts to establish innovation hubs in universities are a positive step, but these hubs need to go beyond just providing facilities; they need to foster an environment where inventors can find the support and resources needed to turn their ideas into successful businesses.
The future of physical AI in Nigeria hinges on the ability to design, produce, and maintain these machines locally. Universities should not only focus on imparting theoretical knowledge but also on providing hands-on experience and the opportunity to work on real-world projects. By nurturing the next generation of Nigerian innovators, Nigeria can harness the power of physical AI to tackle its most pressing challenges and create new opportunities for economic growth.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Trust's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
