School Dropout Connects 9 Homes With Electricity From Air-Powered Transformer: “Life Is Simple”
- Ernest Andrew's innovation essentially seeks to save the money villagers spend on buying torches and batteries
- Andrew, an 18-year-old secondary school dropout, said his generator produces 1,000 volts of electricity
- However, experts complain about Andrew's inability to articulate how he is using air to generate electricity
They say necessity is the mother of invention, and for centuries, industrial-era necessities have sparked inventions that continue to shape the world around us.
Source: Twitter
For instance, inventor Ernest Andrew's innovation essentially seeks to save the money villagers spend buying torches and batteries to light their homes.
"After realising that we were facing a lot of problems without having electricity, I thought about inventing electricity. Now here we are," Andrew said.
The 18-year-old secondary school dropout said his generator produces 1,000 volts of electricity.
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VOA reported that Andrew has now connected nine houses using his self-made transformer.
"This system generates electricity using air. To make a bulb illuminate, I use power stored in batteries. I experiment with magnetic power to determine how much electricity I can produce, and after that, I generate power based on the number of houses I want to supply," Andrew explained.
Why experts have poked holes in Andrew's innovation
However, experts complain about Andrew's inability to articulate how he uses air to generate electricity.
The experts say he must purposely conceal it to prevent others from copying it.
"What type of air is he using? We don't know. What is the air doing to produce power? We don't know, and he is not saying. How is he using the air in his system to produce electricity? We don't know," said Allie Katumba, an electrical engineer.
Katumba said if it were proven genuine, Andrew's innovation would be rated among the most extraordinary in the world.
The innovation posted on X by @SarahBireete has convinced sceptical neighbours.
"I was among those who were doubting his ability to generate electricity, which we can use in our homes. But when I saw that he had managed to connect to his parents' house, that is when I asked him to connect to my house too. Now life is simple," said Mary Phirim, a neighbour.
The villagers use the free electricity to charge phones and plug in shaving machines.
Andrew's mother, Everlyne Chinguo, says he dropped out of school in 2018 due to a lack of school fees.
"I am appealing to well-wishers to help this boy to continue with his education by sending him back to school to improve on his innovative ideas because the knowledge he is using now is inborn," said Chinguo.
How Andrew received Malawi government support
Minister of Energy Ibrahim Matola recently expressed appreciation for the invention.
"Such innovations can make us achieve access to electricity. But not only access but also affordability and sustainability," Matola said.
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Authorities in Malawi's lower district have already conducted training and donated electricity wires, protective gear and a gadget for measuring electricity output.
"One thing we are going to do as a district is ensure that whenever he is working on the appliances, he is safe," said Mercy Mpakule, the director of planning and development.
The Malawi government has organised a group of experts to assist.
In the meantime, Andrew wakes up to connect the entire village and fulfil the government's request to illuminate the nearby public school.
Genius builds machine by hand with scrap metal
In a similar article, Briefly News reported that a genius from South Africa showed off his intelligent invention, which he created from scrap metal.
The man showed how he invented a mechanical lifting machine, which he used to demonstrate how he lifted objects. South Africans were impressed but begged him to patent his inventions.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
