3 Nigerian students invent space technology with local materials

Three final year aerospace engineering students of the Kwara State University (KWASU) students have unveiled some space technology they invented at the university's Fifth Undergraduates Research Day (URD).

The trio, Abdulrahoof Sarafadeen, Abdulkadir Abeebulahi and Abdulwasiu Ahmed, worked together to build a rocket prototype, a Quadcopter, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

gathered that the rocket has the capacity to carry payloads outside the atmosphere into the space while the Quadcopter and the UAV were built for surveillance, aerial photography and obstacle avoidance.

According to them, the inventions were locally produced with material wastes due to paucity of funds.

"We used locally sourced materials to build all these machines; we indeed turned wastes to wealth," Sarafadeen told The Guardian.

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“The grants from the undergraduates research was too paltry to bring out our intention beyond the level we had showed the audience today.

"We don’t have equipment to use and half of the money requested for was given.

"But we are assuring Nigerians of our potentials beyond what we had showed them today if we have sponsors."

Sarafadeen urged the Federal Government to make grants available for researches like theirs, instead of depending on grants from the United States.

"We should stop depending on the United States (U.S.) for inventions."

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At the same event, a final year student of the College of Pure and Applied Sciences, Gideon Awojobi, unveiled an electrical device that prevents power surges.

The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’Allah, said the URD is designed to stimulate undergraduate and post-graduate research culture among students of the university.