THE 58TH ANNUAL KENYA SCIENCE AND ENGINENEERING FAIR

CATEGORY:

ROBOTICS

TITLE:

INTERGRATION OF ROBOTS INTO THE KENYAN ECONOMY

PRESENTERS:

ANUSHKA SINGH

SAINA BUDHIA

REGION:

NAIROBI REGION

SCHOOL:

S.C.L.P. SAMAJ SCHOOL

VENUE:

KISUMU GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL

DATE:

22/04/2023 – 27/04/2023
 DECLARATION
STUDENT’S DECLARATION
This project has never been done before and we proclaim that it is our own
idea:

Name Signature Date

SAINA BUDHIA _______________ ____-_____-______
ANUSHKA SINGH _______________ ____-_____-______
SUPERVISOR’S DECLARATION
This project was done under my supervision and confirm that it is
appropriate for presentation:
Name Signature Date
Mr. Ronald Mokoro ___________________ ____-____-____
Mr. Oscar ___________________ ____-____-____

PRINCIPAL’S DECLARATION
Principal’s Name Signature Date
Madam Sharma ____________________ ____-_____-______

Principal’s stamp:
 KSEF PLAGIARISM DECLARATION FORM

CATEGORY: ROBOTICS TITLE: INTERGRATION OF ROBOTS INTO KENYA ECONOMY REGION: NAIROBI

KSEF places specific emphasis on integrity and ethical behavior with regard to the preparations of
all written work to be submitted for Science fairs as per its rules and regulations. Although science
personnel will provide you with information regarding reference techniques as well as ways to
avoid plagiarism, you also have a responsibility to fulfil in this regard. You are guilty of plagiarism
when you extract information from a book, article or web page without acknowledging the source
and pretend that it is your own work. In truth, you are stealing someone else’s property. This does
not only apply to cases where you quote verbatim, but also when you present someone else’s work
in a somewhat amended format (paraphrase), or even when you use someone else’s deliberation
without the necessary acknowledgement. You are not allowed to use other student’s previous work.
You are furthermore not allowed to let anyone copy or use your work with the intension of
presenting it as his/her own. Students who are guilty of plagiarism will be disqualified. In addition,
the matter will be referred to SRC for a decision to be made.

Declaration
1. I understand what plagiarism entail I’m aware of the KSEF’s policy in this regard.
2. I declare that this project is my own, original work. Where someone else’s work was used
(whether from a printed source, the internet or any other source) due acknowledgement was
given and reference was made according to KSEF requirements.
3. I did not make use of another student’s previous work and submitted it as my own.
4. I did not allow and will not allow anyone to copy my work with the intention of presenting it
as his/her own work.
1) Name: Anushka Singh Signature Date

2) Name: Saina Budhia Signature Date

ABSTRACT
In recent years, the development of robotics has gained significant attention across the globe.

Robotics has emerged as a new technology that can play a vital role in improving the economy and

people's lives in various ways.

In our project we have created a robot using Lego kit that is accomplishing 5 missions: delivery of a

water tank to a residential area, delivery of books to a school, transporting of finished product like

useful drugs from hospital to police station and broken materials from police station to factory for

repair etc.

Kenya is categorized as a developing country that means that many people don’t have access to

good health care, good education system, efficient transportation and deduction of pollution is not

easy for many people. Some of the missions we have done above try to solve this challenges by

using robots. For Example, robots can interact with students in schools for the better understanding

of their education, robotics and technology. (Eu Business School, 2022)

Robots can also be used in factories to help manufacturing, packaging and transporting of water

tanks or heavy materials to residential areas and factories as demonstrated in one of our missions

above. (Reese, 2023)

This project demonstrates that we have a potential as a country to implement the use of robots in

different sectors to boost growth of our economy and improve the lives of Kenyans.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This project would have not been successfully complete without the help of those who guided and
assisted us. With wholehearted appreciation, we would like to thank the following:

1. The Almighty God for giving me the strength, knowledge, ability and opportunity to

undertake this research study and to persevere and complete it satisfactorily.

2. Our school principal, Mrs. E. Sharma, for providing us with financial help and emotional

support throughout for our project.

3. Our supervisor, Mr. Ronald and Mr. Oscar, for investing their time and energy to guide us

how to use scratch programming language

TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION..............................................................................................................................................ii
ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................................................iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.......................................................................................................................................v
CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND INFORMATION......................................................................................................1
1.1) INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................1
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM...............................................................................................................1
1.3 STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY..................................................................................................................2
1.4) HYPOTHESIS...........................................................................................................................................2
1.5) JUSTIFICATION.......................................................................................................................................2
1.6) STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES..................................................................................................................3
1.7) LIMITATIONS..........................................................................................................................................4
MERITS..........................................................................................................................................................4
DEMERITS.....................................................................................................................................................4
1.8 ASSUMPTIONS........................................................................................................................................5
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.....................................................................................................................6
PAST WORK...................................................................................................................................................6
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY............................................................................................................................8
REQUIREMENTS............................................................................................................................................8
PROCEDURE OF MAKING THE ROBOT...........................................................................................................8
CODING...........................................................................................................................................................18
CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION......................................................................................20
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION.....................................................................................24
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................................24
FUTURE RECOMMENDATION.....................................................................................................................24
References......................................................................................................................................................25
APPENDIX: QUESTIONNAIRE...........................................................................................................................26
CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1.1) INTRODUCTION
Kenya, located in East Africa, is a country with a population of over 50 million people. The country

has a diverse economy with a mix of agriculture, manufacturing, and service industries. Despite

recent economic growth, Kenya still faces challenges in areas such as poverty, unemployment, and

inadequate infrastructure. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed weaknesses in the

country's healthcare system, particularly in remote areas.

In response to these challenges, we have created a robot using an EV3 kit, which demonstrates how

some of this issues facing our country can be addressed using technology.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM.

Kenya's economy has been largely dependent on the agriculture sector, which contributes to about

25% of the country's GDP. However, the sector has been facing various challenges, such as low

productivity, limited access to credit, and inadequate mechanization. Additionally, the

manufacturing sector is still underdeveloped, leading to low production levels, high production

costs, and a limited market for locally produced goods.

The healthcare sector, on the other hand, has been struggling and facing challenges in providing

affordable healthcare services to Kenyans.

If the problems in the above sectors are not addressed, then Kenyans will have to bear with the high

cost of living which will make essentials and basic needs unaffordable.

Our project seeks to address some of those challenges as demonstrated in our missions above.
For instance, our robots can be used for precision farming, which involves using sensors and other

technologies to monitor and optimize crop growth, planting, irrigation, and harvesting, which can

significantly reduce the need for human labor, and hence, labor costs. In manufacturing, robots can

be used for tasks such as assembly, packaging, handling and transportation of finished product.

However, our project will be seeking to address challenges faced by horticulture farming and food

processing industries as a demonstration that it can be achieved in other sectors.

1.3 STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY

I was motivated to build a robot during COVID-19 pandemic when I realized doctors didn’t have

proper equipment to handle and dispose used items like masks. I was also given the motivation

towards creating this robot when I visited a place near Kibera where children and the local people

could not afford essential equipments, medical supplies, and educational materials and thus many

young children lost their future, and so I decided to build this robot with the help of my partner and

my school.

1.4) HYPOTHESIS
i. Can our robot interact with students and give them a better understanding of their education,
robotics and technology?
ii. Can our robot detect the changes in a human body and determine and infection or a disease
and create awareness among patients?
iii. Can our robot transport heavy materials without manual help to different location?
iv. Can our robot help reduce pollution by using electricity instead of fossil fuels?
v. Can our robot transfer important data and evidence from a crime scene to another without it
getting lost misplaced or damaged?
1.5) JUSTIFICATION
i. The use of the Lego EV3 robot provides a practical demonstration of how technology can be

used to overcome the challenges faced by the Kenyan government in achieving its

development objectives.

ii. Robots are known for carrying heavy loads and will reduce the risk of accidents and will

improve the quality of human life.

 iii. Robots can have advanced sensors which detects physical and internal human qualities

which will lead to efficient and affordable health care.

iv. There will barely be any pollution caused by robots as they will only use electricity to

function.

v. Robots can be stored with a lot of knowledge even more than humans which can help

children in their education and robotics, which will be the future of our world.

1.6) STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of the project is to demonstrate how robots can be used to address some of

the country's social and economic challenges. These challenges can be demonstrated by

accomplishing 6 missions using a challenge mat as show below:

1. To carry a water tank from the factory to residential area-The mission explain how robots

can be used to improve access to clean water for people living in slums

2. To deliver a box of books to a school- This mission can explain the challenge of improving

access to education materials to students who face barriers such as limited resources,

distance from school, and safety concerns.

3. To deliver goods from a factory to a central warehouse in a market- This mission can be

used to explain how robots can help vendors to improve market access and distribution of

goods.

4. To deliver medical supplies from hospital to police station-This mission can be used to

explain how the challenge of delivering essential medical supplies to remote areas can be

overcome.

5. To deliver materials from police station to a factory-the mission can explain how police can

use robots to handle explosive materials without endangering the lives and also this mission
 can help the police to be equipped with adequate materials needed for the security of our

country and the citizens.

6. To deliver raw materials from the market to the factory to be converted into finished good

and then to be delivered to the police station – this mission explains how we can solve the

problem of lack of inadequate materials in the police station.

1.7) LIMITATIONS
i. Lego robots are limited to ground operation mostly as autonomous vehicles therefore they

can’t be used for any aerial demonstration like drones.

ii. High cost of Lego kits.

iii. This robot uses electricity and wires to work thus it is not waterproof, and so it cannot work

in the rainy season.

MERITS
i. The use of robots in Kenya's manufacturing, and healthcare systems can significantly

improve productivity, reduce production costs, and increase access to medical services.

ii. Robots can perform hazardous tasks that are risky for human workers, thus improving

workplace safety.

iii. The robot is highly customizable, allowing it to be tailored to specific requirements.

iv. Robots can increase affordability to products and services such as medicine, education and

manufacturing as we do not need a human workforce thus reducing the cost.

v. Robots can help in the production of fruits and vegetables in a farm which can be

transported to the factories without them getting stolen, lost, misplaced or damaged.

DEMERITS
i. The use of robots may lead to job displacement,

ii. The high cost required to deploy robots may be a barrier to its adoption.
 iii. The robot is made out of Lego components thus it has high chance of getting damaged, if

not used with caution.

iv. This robot uses electricity and wires to work thus it is not waterproof, and so it cannot work

in the rainy season.

1.8 ASSUMPTIONS
The successful deployment of robots in Kenya's agriculture sector, manufacturing, and healthcare

systems assumes the following:

i. Necessary infrastructure, such as reliable power supply, internet connectivity and good roads

are available to support the deployment of robot.

ii. Kenya has sufficient supply of skilled technicians to operate and maintain the robots.
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
PAST WORK
Kenya has made significant strides in implementing technology in various industries, including

manufacturing, health care and agriculture.

For instance, during COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry of health received three robots Jasiri,

Shujaa and Tumaini from UNDP.

The three robots had the capacity to scan between 10 to 100 people per minute from a distance of up

to 3.5 metres, limiting direct contact. They were also used to disinfect hospitals and airports and

disseminate public health messages about Covid-19. (Joy, 2021)

In 2020, two engineering students from Jomo Kenyatta university of technology (JKUAT), invented

a weeding robot which got a recognition by president uhuru Kenyatta during mashujaa day. The

robot was aimed at improving efficiency and reduce the cost of production. However, their

prototype was still under testing stages. (Wanzala, 2021)

Agriculture sector has also embraced technology with various solutions such as drones, precision

agriculture, and irrigation systems being implemented to enhance productivity.

For instance, companies such as SunCulture have developed solar-powered irrigation systems that

enable farmers to irrigate their crops efficiently. Farmers are also utilizing innovation from mobile

phone apps to enable them detect crop disease at early stages. (d'Arlon, 2020)
Despite the significant progress in implementing technology and robots in various sectors, there are

still gaps that need to be addressed.

For instance, most of the technology solutions used in our industries are imported, making them

expensive for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to adopt.

Example, the three robots Jasiri, Shujaa and Tumaini used during COVID-19, are made by Chinese

robotics company called UBtech.

Our project demonstrates that as a country, we have ability to invest in robotics and have this robot

manufactured in Kenya and have them available to different sectors at affordable cost.
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

REQUIREMENTS
1. A laptop
2. Lego Ev3 Kit
3. Lego Mind storm software
4. A challenge Mat for Mission
PROCEDURE OF MAKING THE ROBOT

Step 1: Attach one arm piece to one of the large motors using four blue couplings, one black
coupling and a black rod of 4 cm attached to a red bushing on one end as shown below:

Step 2: Attach a smaller arm piece at the end on the already attached black and blue connector
pegs and then push an eight cm axle through the second last hole of that arm. Lastly use a black 3-

module beam piece to secure it all together.

Step 3: Take a small white arm and attach a blue connector peg and a 4 cm axle to it. Now attach
that arm to the front of the motor.

Step 4: Take the 5 x 7 frame and attach two blue coupling on the top and two black couplings on
the right side. Now attach two cross blocks on those blue connector pegs as shown below.

Step 5: Attach the frame to the side of the large motor and then attach a 3 cm black axle to the red
bushing.
Step 6: Repeat all the steps above on the second large motor so that it looks like this:

Step 7: Now join both the large motors with the 5 x 7 frame and place a 5 x 11 frame on the
bottom after you flip it. It should look like the diagram shown below:
Step 8: Take one red angular beam and put one blue connector piece in the third hole and a 3 cm
gray axle through the first hole. Next, take a gray angular connector and attach it on the left side of

the red angular beam. Finally, attach that to the ball bearing and repeat steps on the other side .

Step 9: Put the silver metallic ball into the ball bearing and attach the piece to the back of the
robot.
Step 10: Attach two black connector pegs at the back of the robot and 2 on top in the front.
Making a grabber

Step 1: First, take a beam, 5-module, and attach a connector peg with friction, 3-module, blue in
the last ,5th, hole and also attach a connector peg with friction, 2-module, black in the 4th hole.

Step 2: Attach a connector peg with friction/axle, 2-module, blue to a medium motor and connect
the part we made in step 1 to the medium motor using a beam with crosshole, 2-module, black.

Step 3: Attach a frame, 5x7-module, using another connector peg with friction, 3-module, blue on
top of the beam, after attaching the frame, attach another beam, 5-module to hold the frame at one

place.
Step 4: Attach a connector peg with friction, 2-module, black to the beam and a connector peg
with friction/axle, 2-module, blue to the medium motor and to connect the beam and motor together

attach a beam with crosshole, 2-module, black, to the connector pegs.

Step 5: Attach 2 axles, 5-module, to the frame as shown below, after that attach 2 double cross

blocks, 3-module, to both the sides of the frame.

Step 6: Attach 2 worm gears in the middle of the frame and also attach 2 bushing, ½-module,
after the worm gears and for stability attach an axle, 8-module.

Step 7: Attach 2 axles, 5-module, to the frame as shown below, after that attach 2 double cross
blocks, 3-module, to both the sides of the frame on the top.

Step 8: To make the hand of the grabber,

take an axle, 5- module, and attach a

double cross block, 3-module, at the bottom of the axle, then attach a double angular beam, 3x7-

module, on top of the double cross block, next, attach a gear, 24-tooth, on top of the double angular

beam, then attach an axle, 3-module, at the end of the double angular beam, attach a beam with

crosshole, 2-module, then again attach a double angular beam on top of the beam with crosshole,

then on the axle, 5-module at the top as shown below attach a double cross block, 3-module.

Step 9: Make the other hand the same way as in step 8 but in a different direction.

Step 10: Finally attach the both hands to the

frame using double cross blocks, 3-module, on the both sides.

Final design of the grabber

Final design of robot after grabber has been attached.
CODING

Here are the 5 missions’ coding:

1. Collection of medical supplies from the hospital to the Police station.

2. Collection of broken materials from the Police station to the factory for repair.

3. Collection of fruits and vegetables from the factory to the market.

 4. Collection of a water tank from the factory to the residential area.

5. Carrying a box of books from the starting point to the school.

6. Delivering of raw materials from the market to the factory to be converted into finished
goods, which are then delivered to the police station.

CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

The chapter discusses the data analysis from some questionnaires completed by manufactures,

doctors in Nairobi West Hospital 25th January 2023 to 1st February 2023

The objectives of the study were to identify the following:

i. How long it takes to pack materials in factories.

ii. Main causes of crop failure in farming.

Methods of Data collection:

 Questionnaires

 Observation

After issuing 60 questionnaires to workers in a factory, 45 workers were able to complete their
questionnaires in time and the following were the responses:

a) Time taken to pack product in a factory

Time taken for packaging products Responses

More time 35

Moderate 8

Less time 2
 Time Taken To package product in Factory
40

35

30

25
responses

20

15

10

0
More Time Moderate Less Time
Time

Interpretation: From the above chart it is clear that most factory workers agree that it takes more

time to package product in factory

Using robots, packaging process can be automated and will take less time to package product hence

the process of production faster.

After issuing 108 questionnaires to farmers, 100 farmers were able to complete their questionnaires

in time and the following were the responses:

b) Main causes of crop failure.

Cause Response

Crop pests 40

Cost of inputs 45

Transportation 10

Others 5
 Major cases of crop Failure
50
45
40
35
30
Responses

25
20
15
10
5
0
Pests Inputs Transports others
cause

Interpretation: From the above chart, crop pests is second highest contributing factors in
crop failure
Robots can be implemented to identify crops that are infected by diseases and spray them
with pesticides.
 Variables
Dependent variables:

i. Completion time

Independent variables:

i. Complexity of the mission

ii. Coding

Variable Effect

The time taken by the robot to complete the mission is also a dependent
Completion time variable, as it depends on the design of the robot, the efficiency of the
programming, and the complexity of the task.

Complexity of the mission The robot will take more time if the mission is complex.

If the coding is wrong the robot may go to the wrong directions and make
Coding wrong deliveries. However, a perfectly done coding will make deliveries
exactly on point.

Completion time
160

140

120

100
Distance (cm)

80

60

40

20

0
0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2 2.2
Time(Minutes)
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
CONCLUSION

The use of robots in Kenya's agriculture sector, manufacturing, educational, transportation and

healthcare systems has the potential to significantly improve productivity, reduce production costs,

and increase access to medical services. However, there are significant challenges that must be

overcome, including high capital costs, job displacement, and the need for skilled technicians to

operate and maintain the robots. With the use of our robots, we can solve a lot of problems without

any manual help. It will be helpful towards the government and the citizens of our country, Kenya,

by making life easier.

FUTURE RECOMMENDATION
For anyone who want to make more improvement to our robot we recommend to add solar panels

for the robot to use renewable energy from the sun. We recommend the government to encourage

the use of robots and new technologies in farms, hospitals and factories, since it will be more

efficient and less time consuming. Also, the future robots should be built with components that are

waterproof so that it can work in the rainy season. Furthermore, we recommend to add a

GPS(Global Positioning system), so that our robot can go in the right directions within a given time

without any delays or misplacement of items, if our robot is lost, we can track it easily using the

GPS.

References
d'Arlon, R. (2020, September). Alliance for Rural Electrification. Retrieved from ruralelec:
https://www.ruralelec.org/project-case-studies/sunculture-solar-powered-irrigation-systems-
smallholder-farmers-bundled-pay-you

Joy, V. (2021, February 17). Tech World. Retrieved from Digital Times:
https://www.digitaltimes.africa/three-made-in-china-robots-donated-to-kenya-by-japan-and-the-
united-nations-development-program/#

Reese, N. (2023, February 02). Business. Retrieved from Verizon: https://www.verizon.com/business/en-

au/resources/articles/s/how-robotics-in-manufacturing-can-help-improve-efficiencies-in-
factories/#:~:text=Robotics%20can%20also%20significantly%20improve,more%20complex%20and
%20engaging%20work.

School, E. B. (2022, April 19). Education Trends. Retrieved from euruni: https://www.euruni.edu/blog/the-
benefits-of-robots-in-education/

Wanzala, J. (2021). Smart Harvest. Retrieved from standardmedia:

https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/smart-harvest/article/2001373220/weeding-robot-earns-jkuat-
students-sh16m
 APPENDIX: QUESTIONNAIRE

Name: _________________________ Signature: ______________________________

We have developed a robot that helps in the five sectors, which are education, environment, health,

infrastructure development and jobs. Which everyone can access. The main objective is to improve the

quality of lives of citizens and to provide affordability to the citizens of Kenya.

1) Time taken for the products to be packed in the factory?

More time Moderate Less time

2) What is the main cause of crop failure?

Crop pests Cost of inputs Transportation Others

3) What means do you use for transportation of products?

Others Truck Car Bicycle

4) How long does it take for your products to get transported to their destination?

Very Slow Slow Average Fast Very fast

5) How do you rate our robot/system?

Very bad Bad Average Good Very Good

Our great teamwork: