Understanding Human-Robot Interaction in Nigeria’s Tech Ecosystem
BY Kabir Abdulsalam
It is no longer news as to how robots and robotic activities are meant to be accomplished in the contemporary world of technology and human living.
The need for robots and Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems is not far – to offer humans a unique increase in productivity, improve workers’ safety and make work more comfortable.
It is expected, therefore, that deployment of robots leads to economic growth and national development.
Several tech startups have mooted ways to create systems that will proffer solutions to problems in society through robotics and other AI activities – from security to health, education to aviation, e-commerce to the judicial system, financial sector to media, and lifestyle.
For socially human-robotic systems, modern social robots are designed to interact with humans by making use of a variety of analogue sensors, inputs into which are then converted into digital data that the robots’ programming can meaningfully interpret.
A study by B.R. Duffy, an American Artificial Intelligence researcher, states that, for a robot to be efficiently engaging in social interactions with humans, the robot must have a degree of anthropomorphic quality, such as eyes, eyelids, lips, and other facial features.
Anthropomorphic qualities refer to the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to non-human entities/objects, including animals.
While such anthropomorphic qualities may be physical but they can also be in the form of behavior, to develop facial features and body parts to move, and response to the feedback gathered from the human users.
Recall that Techdigest had earlier reported that three students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba (AAUA) in Ondo State, invented a robotic dog to help tackle the escalating insecurity problem in Nigeria.
The robotic dog has a combination of motion and sound sensors that enables it to bark in the same manner as real dogs do when they notice a strange movement or hear a sharp sound within their immediate environment.
Another robotic innovator, Silas Adekunle created MekaMon, the world’s first intelligent gaming robot for game enthusiasts.
The UK-based Nigerian robotics engineer specialises in fusing gaming and augmented reality to perform real-world functions in revolutionizing the science of robotics.
Also, a robotic ‘challenge’ was recently organised by Fowler Memorial College for Girls, in Lagos in collaboration with FIRST, a nonprofit organization with the theme: “Lego league and Tech Challenge” to enable young girls to proffer solutions to problems in society through robotics.
Human-Social Robot Interaction
The long-term goal of creating social robots is for competence and capability to assist humans, to communicate naturally with people using both verbal and nonverbal signals, and to engage humans not only on a cognitive level but on an emotional level as well.
Gws robotic, a robotic company, amplified strategic ways in which social robots can be designed and programmed to interact with humans. These include artificial senses, artificial vision, artificial hearing, and artificial touch.
For more responsiveness, the robotic company said, “it will indulge perceptible responses, mechanical and electrical movement, designing and visual styling of the robot body, head, and manner of movement.”
Thus, social robots are effective in engaging in interacting with people to connect with business at a given task.
They can be used in several aspects to lessen the workforce of humans in activities like welcoming guests, providing information to visitors, processing arrivals and bookings, entertaining people, displaying shop inventory and allowing online ordering, and capturing leads and personal information for marketing.
No doubt, the quest for rising global technological revolution and participation to embrace new technology such as robots and robotic activities are essential to human needs both for presence and subsequently design for future needs.
Nigeria’s apex IT regulatory authority, The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) through its subsidiary, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) is committed to the promotion of research and development on emerging technologies for practical application in critical sectors.
Alongside other key actors in the IT ecosystem, it is important for NITDA, NCAIR to sustain their proactive engagement with all stakeholders across the academia, public and private sectors to stimulate innovation in AI and robotics system development.
NCAIR represents the country’s preparedness and commitment to put in place the enabling environment to drive large-scale innovation, competitiveness, and growth of the digital economy.
However, it is expected that Nigeria would properly position itself to take advantage of the more than $30 trillion revenue expected to come into the global economy from the deployment of AI, robotics, and other emerging and yet to be created technologies.
Also, there is the need for education system planners to incorporate robots and robotics into the secondary school curriculum for creative and relevant educational programmes capable of equipping our tech community to thrive in the global tech market.
With this, it is left for the youths to seize advantage of the numerous initiatives being promoted by NITDA, NCAIR, and other robotic hubs to churn out smart solutions to those problems affecting the ordinary citizens and future challenges that are likely to emerge as society continues to evolve.
Kabir Abdulsalam write from wuye, Abuja.
Can be reach via [email protected]
