#jaiyeorie
Nigerian neuroscientist and novice founder has created a device that can be used to detect Covid-19, the smell of explosives, and even cancer cells. Oshi Agabi, a former roadside food vendor in Lagos, raised $ 30 million to create Konica Kore, the first device to connect living neurons from mouse stem cells to a silicon chip.
It is being tested by Airbus Corporation, and mass production and deliveries will begin in December. Koniku, which in Nigerian Yoruba means "immortal", started in 2015.
A year later, it landed customers in the aerospace and pharmaceutical industries, such as AstraZeneca, a UK-based pharmaceutical company, and Boeing, both of which signed a letter intending to use the technology in drones to detect chemicals. Upon discovery, Agabi said it could one day revolutionize airport security by allowing passengers to walk from their car to plane.
“We merged synthetic neurobiology with traditional silicon technology with the goal of fixing urgent real world problems,” Agabi said.
“Explosives have particles and smells coming off the individual and with our device you can tell, without requiring line of sight or contact, you can scan them at the time at a place of your own choosing and you can get into an aircraft and go about your business.”
A self-described “scrawny, nerdy kid,” Agabi grew up in the suburb of Surulere in Lagos, Nigeria and obtained a Bachelors degree in Physics from University of Lagos. He went on to do further studies in physics and neuroscience in Sweden and Switzerland.
“One of the things growing up in Lagos imparts in you is grit. Lagos is a place that demands grit. Growing up there gave me an unconventional way of always looking at problems,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment