Meet Omeife, Africa’s first Humanoid Robot Developed By A Nigerian
Omeife is a humanoid robot developed by a team of engineers and programmers at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The humanoid was developed to possess terrain intelligence, thus; Omeife demonstrates a keen understanding of her surroundings and maintains stability on uneven surfaces.This capability enables effective navigation and balance on non-flat terrains.
Omeife is multi-lingual as she was programmed to speak Pidgin, Yoruba, English, French, Arabic, Kiswahili, Hausa, Igbo and Afrikaans. In addition to communicating with humans, she can connect to the internet and other devices through Wi-Fi.
Omeife has dark skin with curly hair and stands about six feet tall, weighs about 60 pounds. She has two arms, two legs, and a head with a solar panel.
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She is also able to discern her posture, whether standing, walking, or engaging in other activities. She is able to express herself verbally, providing hand illustrations, smiling, and employing various bodily gestures during interactions.
Omeife is designed with exceptional social interactive skills, and she is capable of maintaining engaging conversations. She demonstrates politeness, caution, and cultural sensitivity by being aware of words, phrases, sentences, and expressions that may not align with politeness norms in African cultures.
Omeife is created to be safe for children by exhibiting a non-reactive nature. She possesses a broad knowledge base in various fields and remains consistently open to learning. This ensures continuous improvement and the ability to comprehend new information from conversations.
Omeife is made of recycled materials, including old car parts and electronic waste. Her creators say she is “a perfect example of what can be achieved with limited resources”, and they hope she will help inspire young Africans to pursue careers in science and technology.
The name, Omeife is an Igbo word which translates “doer of things”. Omeife was first unveiled at the GITEX technology event at the Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE in October, 2022 and was launched by the former Vice President of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo.