At 24, Nigerian student has made a name for himself in the …circle as he
builds an intelligence robot that solves puzzles.
A Nigerian Software Engineering student, Bobai Ephraim Kato, has built a
functional Artificial Intelligence robot as his final year project at the
International College of Business and Technology (ICBT), Sri Lanka.
Kato, a 24-year old from the Atyap tribe in Kaduna State, personally built
the robot and developed the algorithm that enabled it solved the famous
Rubik cube puzzle in a manner of minutes. But it was not an easy journey
to success because he had to deal with an unimpressed supervisor and a lot
of failures in the course of the project.
Rejected by Nigerian universities
After completing my secondary school in 2009, I wrote JAMB exams
twice applying for Medicine Course in Ahmadu Bello University (ABU),
Zaria, but I never got admitted. I also tried the university’s remedial
school and still wasn’t admitted. I then decided to change my choice of
university and applied to the Kaduna State University ( KASU) where I
was granted the admission to study medicine. Unfortunately, on the day of
my course registration I wasn’t allowed to register because I had not
passed English in WAEC. So I moved on to the KASU remedial school.
It was during my remedial that I decided to try NIIT (National Institute of
Information Technology) scholarship exams in which I emerged the
second highest. The scholarship granted me a chance to return to
computing. I then decided to leave the remedial school to register with
NIIT to study software Engineering. After completing a year in NIIT my
cousin decided to get me an admission in Sri Lanka Institute of
Technology (SLIIT).
Going overseas and starting over
I left NIIT and travelled down to Sri Lanka. When I got to Sri Lanka in
2012, I started University all over again. I completed my first semester in
SLIIT but I wasn’t happy in the school because they focused more on IT
(Information Tech) while I wanted software Engineering. I then decided to
leave SLIIT to Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT) which was
affiliated to University of Westminster UK.
So I then started university over again, I stayed in IIT for 2 years and I
completed my diploma and advance diploma. My third year at IIT
required that I take an internship for a year before I complete the fourth
year. But I couldn’t take an internship because of my visa status which
clearly stated that I’m not allowed to work, paid or unpaid job. I then left
IIT in 2014 to ICBT to complete my degree in software Engineering (2015
September 20th).
Accidental Project?
To be honest I didn’t plan to make the project this great. I didn’t know it
will happen. I guess it’s safe to say that I randomly chose the idea for my
final year project, it has nothing to do with my passion and future plans.
Though I took a module called Artificial Intelligent System while
studying in the university and that module was just so interesting, I learnt
some few AI languages and I was able to do a mini project called WINE
QUALITY TEST software which uses and Artificial Intelligence to
determine the quality of a wine drink. This software used some data set
for its prediction. I enjoyed the whole development process.
Coming to my final year project we was all asked to do a software that
uses AI (artificial intelligence) for predictions and solutions; that got me
worried because I barely came up with an idea. So I decide to spend time
making research and I came up with something. I proposed to do a robot
that solves puzzles, I wasn’t sure what puzzles as I had a lot in mind but I
final choose the Rubik cube puzzle.
I then decide to make further research on what tools to use and I found out
that there are many tools out there that I can use for a robotic design.
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Building the Robot in the midst of disappointment
I then started developing the algorithm to solve the Rubik cube. My
supervisor was never impressed with the progress all he cared about was
to see a robot working. I spent most of the time researching and he
thought I wasn’t going to make it happen.
I was able to create the algorithms that solves the puzzle. I created 16
different algorithms which served as set of skills for the robot. With these
sets of skills, I used an artificial intelligence language called ‘R’ to
develop a pattern for the robot to choose the best skills to solve the puzzle.
So basically R was the AI part of my robot. It’s very easy to use. I also
had a database where the new skills are saved. So the more the robot
solves the cube the more intelligent it becomes.
I spent two nights building the robot and after completing the
construction, I installed the software which serves as the brain into a
memory card for testing.
My first 5 tests were a failure. The robot always shot a scanning error, and
this was a week to my final submission. All I could do was pray. I didn’t
know what to do again. I was confused and restless. I kept grinding and it
finally started working. At that stage, the robot wasn’t intelligent enough
and I had to train it to solve many puzzles to get more skills to save in the
database.
It was very hard for me because I can’t even solve the Rubik cube myself.
The robot is smarter than me in that aspect.
Coming back to save Nigeria
My focus now is on Forensic computing, Cyber Security and Digital
Investigation. This is the path I will love to follow for my career and
education. I’m happy to return back to Nigeria as a Cyber Security and
Digital forensic Tech. If anything, that’s what Nigeria needs more. We
need people who are savvy and sincere in Digital Investigation, Cyber
Security and Forensic computing. The world today is bent on technology,
the corruption in the world today is bent on it too.
I don’t get how a country will say they can’t locate the terrorist living in
the country, and I don’t get how a country will say they don’t know the
sponsors on this terrorist group. They make calls, they send emails, they
use the internet for many reasons, they upload videos etc. Just one
amongst this list is enough to get whoever is responsible. We only need
savvy and honest people to do this.
Many Nigerians have useful skills, but money determines how, where and
what we use it for. My heart is to return home. To be honest I don’t have a
dream of staying in a foreign country. I must tell you something I hate the
fact that my current status in my life is being a foreigner. I hate the
feeling that I’m not in my own country.
So I’m on a fast track back to Nigeria. Many tell me that there isn’t
opportunity in Nigeria. That’s very true but I will deal with it.