Dr Osatohanmwen Osemwengie: The Nigerian engineer who makes drones for the US

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Over the years, Nigerians have been impacting the world with their highly-improvised technical skills.

From the likes of Jude O. Nkama, who became the first African to be appointed as a judge in New Jersey, USA; the super-talented Nigerian man who designed the 2014 Chevrolet Volt; the Nigerian engineer who built the fastest carbureted front-wheel car in the world all the way to the 26-year-old Nigerian who is now the highest paid robotics engineer in the world, Nigerians have made their country proud with these wonderful undertakings.

But what probably makes them even more proud is the feat achieved by Dr Osatohanmwen Osemwengie, who builds drones for the most powerful army in the world.

The Nigerian-born genius who hails from Edo state, left the country in the early 1980s and after many feats in Robotics Engineering, he has become an integral member of the American armed forces. His drones are used by the United States Army for surveillance to gather important information, as well as take out terrorist camps.

The successful academic, who has bagged seven masters degrees and three doctorate degrees, served as an administrator at the College of Education, Benin, where he was named Educator of the Year for securing funding used to design and implement pre-service teacher education programs.

Osemwengie, who made a name at the 2008 world robotics championship, after having coached robotics and been a software engineering mentor to robotic teams, also works with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and has been successful in sending drones to different planets, including Mars and Jupiter.

“NASA’s Next Mars Rover Progresses toward 2020 launch. Many years ago I worked on prototype of Mars Curiosity Rover that has roam Mars for more than 4 years and counting,” Osato said of his work with NASA.

“We are now working on the next rover set to launch in 2020”, he was quoted by The Cable recently.Osemwengie sends drones to space — The Cable

The expert owns a drones company – Ubiquity Interface Inc., of which he is the CEO – and works with a team of foreign engineers as well as his brother, only identified as Ken, who is a retired lieutenant colonel in the US Army.

Osemwengie, in February 2017, released his latest research, which has been submitted to the US Army entitled “QuantumDB API for Database Security and Integrity Enhancements”.

“QuantumDB is a database system required for implementation of secured database management system by the Army and Department of Defense within non-clustered environment in tactical space where computing and storage resources are limited,” the research abstract that was cited by The Cable stated.

In 2011, the family man, who allegedly likes to keep a low profile, founded the Open Robotics University, described as one of the world’s first tuition-free, engineering degree-granting university that “allows people to further exercise their talents and expand their knowledge into all fields related to engineering”.

Before travelling to the United States in the 1980s, Osemwengie was already making a name in his home country. Aside from being named Educator of the Year by the College of Education, Benin City, he served as Administrator of the Columbus City School System from 1992 to 2011, where he not only coordinated staff and student recruitment but also developed programmes to increase staff and student retention, according to Ventures Africa.

Osemwengie makes drones for the U.S. Army — SciTech Africa

Osemwengie was also a facilitator for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation- sponsored Ohio Leadership for Integrating Technology Initiative (OLIT).

Nigeria recently joined other countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Israel and Iraq who have adopted the use of drones in modern warfare, especially in the wake of havoc being wreaked by the terrorist group, Boko Haram in Africa’s most populous nation.

But analysts believe that Nigeria has not been fully able to take on other modern warfare options and the likes of Osemwengie could change the trend if he is to bring back home some of his newly developed technologies.

Drones, otherwise known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), have been used for more than three decades but in recent years, they are increasingly being used for commercial purposes.

African countries have already welcomed the idea of drone deliveries and are using the technology to solve a myriad of their challenges, particularly, in health.

In 2016, Rwanda launched the world’s first commercial drone delivery service to help distribute medical supplies to remote areas within the country.

The project was in partnership with US company Zipline and it was aimed at cutting the delivery of medical supplies to minutes instead of hours.It is expected to deliver up to 150 medical supplies per day, including blood, plasma, and coagulants to about 21 health facilities in rural western Rwanda.

Drones for medical supply

In Malawi, drones deliver HIV test kits to and from remote parts of the country while in other African countries like South Africa and Namibia, drones are used to stop poaching, track illegal mine activities and for agricultural purposes.

For healthcare professionals, the use of drones has enormous benefits, specifically its ability to reach areas that lack proper infrastructure to deliver lifesaving drugs and other important items.

The technology has saved lives in cases of emergencies and due to its central stocking, medical doctors state that it has curtailed the issue of the short shelf life of whole blood, which made planning what types and amounts to keep on hand at each hospital difficult.

1 COMMENT

  1. DRONES AND ROBOTS AND AI WILL MAKE CONVENTIONAL MILITARIES OBSOLETE !

    Take the example of the Swarm attack by ISIS on Russian forces,in Syria.They attacked and exited at no loss to ISIS.The principle is that,you cannot
    kill what you cannot see.Radars cannot see the drones – and even if the drone has a set trajectory,AI can be used to alter it,every 2 seconds,and then drop it below
    radar coverage.You can’t use an ADS to shoot a drone – it is the surest way to bankrupt a nation.

    With AI and multiple warheads type splitting of the drone,at the terminal phase,there is no way to stop the drones.

    The entire American ADS failed w.r.t the Yemeni Swarms on Saudi oil refineries. Y ? 1st they failed to detect,and then you cannot shoot them with missiles –
    as if the missile misses,the refineries are history (besides the absurd cost of this defense).Even Anti-Aircraft fire is of no use,as the drones cannot be seen
    (even in the day),and using AI,the drone can change height or speed or hide behind an obstacle.

    Even drone armies cannot be used to kill drones – as the drone armies cannot reach the target location – for the simple reason,that they will not
    know the target before hand.Even if drones at stationed at an airbase – on perpetual mode,that will only aid in reconnaisance.

    Using EW and DEW,means that all the ICs and Communication networks of the “attacked entity” are also likely to be jammed and paralysed !

    THE INDIANS WERE DOING ONLINE YOGA AND LOOKING FOR PIA BALLOONS,AND THEREFORE – THEY HAVE BEEN ATTACKED BY 2 DRONES YESTERDAY –
    WHICH BOMBED THEIR IAF AIRBASES!

    https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-probes-suspected-use-drones-blast-jammu-air-base-officials-2021-06-27/

    HOW CAN THE WORLD USE INDAIN VAXES ? HOW CAN INDIA HAVE AN AIRFORCE ? HOW CAN THESE PEOPLE BE A PART OF THE QUAD ?

    This is another false flag ! A drone came from AK, 10 kms into Hindoosthan,via the IB/LC and all the pandoos of the BSF,ADS and the IAF were sleeping !

    The attack was at NIGHT – so there was NO VISUAL SIGNATURE.

    Y did the Drones miss ? Did they come to blow a hole in the roof of a building ? How could they miss the Choppers and Jets ? What about the Fuel Dumps ?

    UAVIED = IED Force Multiplier ! A small payload can cause more damage than a ICBM – as the payload can be targetted TO A SPECIFIC EXPONENTIAL TARGET (like ammo dumps,fuel dumps,jets loaded with fuel and ammo ….)

    Sat pictures of the IAF base would be known to the Mujahideen,and so,the GPS coordinates WILL GUIDE THE DRONE TO THE TARGET ! So Y did the drone miss ?

    So the Drone was NOT GPS turned,and was a basic drone ! Y will a basic drone be used, unless it be tracked to drop payload at a target ? The only STEALTH WAY to do the same – is via a camera, which transmits at set intervals (so that IAF jammers,do NOT intercept the transmission)

    The fact that the Drone entered the IAF base and was on ATC zone, means that the handler could see the target ! AND SO Y DID THE HANDLER DROP THE CHARGE AT THE WRONG TARGET ? There was no drone recovered by the Indians – SO THE DRONE DID NOT MALFUNCTION – and so,Y was the payload dropped ?

    It is simple ! It was a false flag ! Done by RAW and MOSSAD,to fund the DRONE DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY,TO BE SOLD BY ISRAEL,TO INDIA ! THE ISRAELI TECHNOLOGY IS USELESS FOR INDIA! THE DRONES USED BY THE KASHMIRI FREEDOM FIGHTERS IN INDIA,ARE SMALL DRONES, WHICH HAVE NO RCS AND NO INFRA RED OR THERMAL SIGNATURE – AND CARRY A VERY SMALL PAYLOAD

    Hamas DRONES were large with heavy payloads,and slow,with a set trajectory !

    Indian Drones are based on the “IED Force Multiplier” concept ! The key in India is TARGET SELECTION – then getting the drone to HIT the target,is easy meat – especially at Nights with cloud cover and a dark moon ! If the small drones fly even at 10000 feet – radars will
    not detect the same !Tree Top cruising is the last option,for the mujahideen !

    So the Israeli technology will not work, in India !

    The Solution to jammers used by the Indians, is saturation drones,at the same time but attacking from different coordinates.In addition,once the drones are 50 -100 meters from the target – all radio frequency and visual transmission needs to be cut off, and the handler has to use time and distance to plan the drop – by 1 last transmission, at an unknown frequency !

    Once the drone RCS is minimised,then drones at a height of even 500 feet,will be invisible to radar and the human eye – even in the day ! Then just one last visual relay from the drone is required – to release the payload – like the WW2 bombers – were bombs were manually dropped from 20000 feet – AND THIS IS 500 FEET ! And if this happens at NIGHT – then it is Gala Freedom! KAMIKAZE DRONES ARE NON-STOPPER !

    Sooner rather than later,the UAVIEDs will reach the Naxals and the North East !

    Take the example of Goa,IAF base in Dabolim Commercial Airport,Fuel Dumps for IAF,Navy and Railways – visible to the eye,Ports and Ships at Dock – visible to the eye,packed tourists in the open spaces,oil and naptha tankers docked at high seas ….

    India has TO READ THE WRITING ON THE WALL ! Give Freedom to Kashmir and partition India !

    The Indians DID NOT have the sense to have a ABR, in the form of a drone,at a height of even 1000 feet to scan all projectile movement – as a drone,has a SET TRAJECTORY AND PATH PATTERN AND A SET SPEED .Even then,the ABR MIGHT detect the drone,BUT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STOP THE DRONE.NO ADS WORKS AT 50 TO 300 FEET – AS IT IS TOO CLOSE TO MISS.dindooohindoo

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