The Chronicle
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
A FORM FOUR pupil at Mkhosana Adventist Secondary School in Victoria Falls has invented a sanitiser machine that has a sanitiser dispenser, an in-built thermometer for checking temperature and a dryer to dry one’s hands after sanitising.
Joseph Chindora’s machine was used by the school to sanitise pupils and visitors at the height of the Covid-19 outbreak last year.
While the global pandemic brought untold suffering to all sectors of society including education, health and industry, to Joseph who has an interest in science subjects, it was a blessing in disguise as he used the opportunity to apply some concepts he learnt in class.
His prototype sanitising machine is a simple dispenser, the size of many ordinary portable water dispensers found in offices and public waiting rooms.
In most cases, a thermometer is operated by a person manning the entrance door who checks people’s temperature or it is fitted to a stand.
To dry one’s hands, wipes are placed next to a point where people wash their hands. It is mostly in hotels and some office ablution facilities where mechanised hand dryers are found.
The 17-year-old Chindora came up with a hybrid device that can do all the three tasks.
He showcased the machine at the International Literacy Day belated commemorations held at Mosi-oa-Tunya High School in Victoria Falls yesterday.
International Literacy Day which was founded through Unesco in 1966 is commemorated on September 8 annually to raise awareness and concern for literacy problems that exist within communities.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Eveline Ndlovu who attended the International Literacy Day belated commemorations was charmed by the machine, an idea which she said needs to be capacitated and patented.
Joseph was one of the pupils from different schools across the country that converged at Mosi-oa-Tunya High and showcased their innovations which are in line with Government’s Innovation 5.0 education policy.
In the wake of the global pandemic induced lockdown, Government encouraged schools to be innovative and make their own personal protective equipment.
Joseph embraced the call and the school last year relied on his machine.
“I invented the sanitising machine seeing that this is a critical device for public places. I came up with the idea in June 2021 when I was in Form 3, getting motivation from Covid-19 which made it mandatory for people to observe World Health Organisation (WHO) health protocols which include sanitising, washing hands and checking one’s temperature,” he said.
“This practice was very new to us when Covid-19 started but it became a part of life to check ones temperature and sanitise hands while entering a public place. I then came up with this machine which has proved to be 75 percent effective judging by the way it performed at our school”, said Chindora.
The former Chamabondo primary school pupils said he simply applied concepts he learnt in class to make the machine.
Chindora said he used pieces of scrap metal which he welded together to make a portable device that has a 5 litre container fitted inside and is filled with sanitiser that is dispensed through a small nozzle.
The thermometer is also inbuilt and one has to put a hand close to it. By placing hands closer to the side of the machine one gets hands dried by warm air that the machine immediately discharges.
The device uses electricity.
“The machine has three switches. These are the lower switch which powers the sanitise dispenser to release sanitizer, a middle switch which releases dry air that dries hands and an upper switch which activates a thermometer to check temperature.
“The idea just came to me as I figured out about what we were learning at school. We have used the machine at the school gate to sanitise people and it proved to be 75 percent efficient. With help, this machine can be commercialised and used at industrial level. My plan is to make an advanced machine with sensors but I just lack the required materials,” said Chindora.
He urged his peers to believe in themselves and embrace the new continuous learning curriculum which teaches kids to have lifelong skills and be creators of jobs.
Joseph said such innovations can help keep young people off the streets and away from abusing drugs and dangerous substances.
Minister Ndlovu was sanitized, had her temperature checked and hands dried by Joseph’s machine when she visited Matabeleland North exhibition stand.
She said there was a need to help young people with innovative ideas to transform the country.
“This is an amazing innovation that we definitely have to make sure its supported. We are seeing amazing work by our learners. What’s needed is to capacitated them and make sure such ideas are patented,” she said.
Article Source: The Chronicle