JKUAT student improvices floor cleaning device for persons with disability

A Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology student has invented a cleaning device to help people scrub their floors with fewer struggles.

Amos Waweru 23, says that the machine referred to as Safi Autonomous Cleaning Device is able to scrub someone’s house floor without his or her involvement.

Waweru conceptualised the idea two years ago to save people living with disabilities the hassle associated with cleaning their floors.

“I created Safi Automous Cleaning device out of concern for busy people who do not have enough time to clean their homes, especially those who are living with disabilities. I incorporated my colleague Mervin Kipsang while the university also assisted in sourcing materials used in building the device,’’ Waweru explains.

Waweru, a Bio-Mechanical and Processing Engineering student applied basic engineering principles to develop the three-kilogram micro-controlled gadget.

“The device is fitted with sensors that detect obstacles making it able to navigate spaces automatically after it’s switched on,” the young innovator says.

Safi also has a dirt bin and suction inlet that helps it when it comes to dealing with particles. Its thin and slender nature gives it the ability to access the underneath of most home furniture and spaces inside homes.

“The invention is only 11 centimetres long and is, therefore, able to navigate through spaces in between furniture and other structures within an individual’s house,” he says.

The device, according to Waweru, has a battery that can last for 102 minutes when fully charged and can comfortably clean an entire house or office before it goes off.

Waweru who is in love with robots and robotics believes that Kenyans will be able to embrace their product since it will be locally assembled and cheaper than other cleaning devices.

“The globe is transforming and we need to adapt to the new realities,’’ he adds.

Though the team is still struggling to fund the project, they look at ways of acquiring proper and high quality raw materials for mass production of the Safi Autonomous Cleaning Device.

The device got the attention of top techies during the 2017 JKUAT Tech Expo in the University’s main campus.