Senegal engineering students fight virus with inventions

engineering students
Lamine Mouhamed Kébé (R), a final year mechanical engineering student and coordinator of the "Dr. Car", and Pape Mamadou Gueye (L), a bachelor's student in mechanical engineering at Dakar's Ecole Superieur de Polytechnique (ESP) works in the school's lab on May 8, 2020. Source: Seyllou/AFP

Senegalese engineering students are throwing themselves at the West African state’s growing coronavirus problem with inventions such as automatic sanitiser dispensers and medical robots.



Pape Mamadou Gueye, a bachelor’s student in mechanical engineering at Dakar’s Ecole Superieur de Polytechnique (ESP), handles a computer in the school’s lab on May 8, 2020. Source: Seyllou/AFP





Senegal’s coronavirus outbreak pales in comparison to the situation in virus-stricken Europe and the US.



And as with other poor countries in the region, there are fears that Senegal is ill-equipped to handle a large outbreak.






Focus on practicality





An automatic hand-sanitiser dispenser designed by Gianna Andjembe. Source: Seyllou/AFP

Gianna Andjembe, a Master’s student in electrical engineering, has designed an automatic hand-sanitiser dispenser that he said could reduce the need for staff in schools and hospitals to supervise hand-washing.



The coronavirus has upended ESP students’ lives.



“What has changed is the responsibility,” robotmaker Kebe said before adding that the students also felt “much more patriotism”.

Liked this? Then you’ll love…

These ingenious student inventions in Jamaica and Morocco can help fight COVID-19

Do you know the difference between these six major engineering degrees?