By Leo Crisp
The Durban University of Technology (DUT) Arm Engage Robotics Student Club has been selected as a winner at this year’s Formula Student RS Fund 2024 which was announced on 9 February 2024.
The DUT robotics club inaugural project developed an African Humanoid Robot capable of speaking IsiZulu which is named after King Shaka Zulu. According to the MICT SETA CEO, Mr. Matome Madibana, the robot is aimed at addressing the gap in robotics production that often neglect African contexts.
King Shaka was developed at the DUT’s MICT SETA 4IR Centre of Excellence. The centre provides cutting edge technology to students. King Shaka has a 3D printed robotic hand and is built on the Arduino Robotics Kit provided by Arm Holdings. It achieved functionality with five moving fingers in 2023. Arm Robotics Student Club convenor and Research Chair of the MICT SETA, professor Oludayo Olugbawe said: “We are truly over the moon with this award and it really proves that South African students has the know-how and technical capability to compete globally.”
Arm Holdings is a British semiconductor and software design company based in Cambridge, England. Arm Holdings supported the initiative by providing Arduino Certification Examination vouchers, leading to 13 out of 15 students successfully passed the examination, thereby gaining a deeper technical understanding of the
Arduino kit used in robotics development industry.
Meanwhile, Olugbara said the university is ecstatic about the achievement and hopes the university will make bigger strides in robotics and automation moving ahead. Olugbara said: “The Student club here at DUT is the only African team to have won this prestigious international award and one of the 30 global winners in 2024.
“We are highly appreciative of the work of the students in the university as it aligns itself with the MICT SETA that plays a pivotal role in achieving South Africa’s skills development and economic growth within the sub-sectors we operate in,” said Mr. Madibana.
Mr. Madibana concluded: “This demonstrates how much potential we have in this country. It bodes well for our integration in the global fourth Industrial Revolution into our economy. We have the intellectual and academic capital to be major players on the global stage.” The students walked away with this prestigious award and a big confidence boost.