AMILOADED MEDIA HUB NEWS UPDATE
Nigerian robotics and embedded systems engineer, Kemisola Bolarinwa, has innovated a smart bra designed to detect early-stage breast cancer before symptoms manifest.
Bolarinwa unveiled her groundbreaking invention to the world in February 2022 by creating the prototype of the smart bra. The inspiration behind her innovation stemmed from the loss of a loved one in 2017.
She mentioned that prior to her aunt’s passing, she didn’t give much thought to breast cancer. It was merely something she heard about on TV or radio.
Bolarinwa, the founder and CEO of Nextwear Technologies, Nigeria’s pioneering wearable technology startup, expressed that her frequent visits to the hospital where her aunt was before her passing deeply inspired her to invent the smart bra.
Witnessing other women enduring the struggles of breast cancer was a poignant experience for her, propelling her to redouble her efforts on the invention.
Her groundbreaking creation garnered recognition from BBC Africa. Bolarinwa revealed that she dedicated a year and a half to intensive research before the smart bra prototype emerged in 2019.
How breast cancer bra works
To detect lumps in the breast, the smart bra ingeniously repurposes ultrasound technology into a compact form factor. The goal is to condense an ultrasound machine into a portable, wearable device.
Bolarinwa attributes the success of this innovation to nanotechnology, a field encompassing science, technology, and engineering focused on manufacturing at a minuscule scale.
For a more comprehensive understanding, the smart bra utilizes a specialized ultrasound system known as the Doppler. This system employs high-frequency sound waves to bounce off the body, detecting anomalies such as blood clots, heart defects, and blocked arteries. It operates distinctively from traditional ultrasound machines, which generate images of the scanned area using sound waves.
More work on smart bra
After years of dedicated research and prototype development, Bolarinwa disclosed that there is still significant work to be done before the breast cancer detection bra can be brought to the commercial market.
Bolarinwa emphasized that the smart bra still requires further development and extensive clinical testing. She set a tentative timeframe between the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023 for mass production to commence.
Beyond her role as an inventor, Bolarinwa is a passionate advocate for encouraging more women to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), a cause close to her heart since childhood.
Expressing her views, Bolarinwa stressed the importance of thorough research and development to ensure that inventions effectively address the problems they are designed for. She lamented the insufficient presence of research organizations to support such endeavors.
She remarked, “In four months, a fintech platform will be built and ready for the market. This is one of the reasons why few people engage in the hardware or deep tech side of technology in Africa. There aren’t enough research institutes.”
Who she is
Bolarinwa holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering from the University of Ado-Ekiti (now Ekiti State University).
With over a decade of experience, she possesses exceptional technical skills and a keen aptitude for problem-solving. Bolarinwa is deeply passionate about tackling complex challenges and staying abreast of the latest technological advancements.
In addition to her role as an inventor and innovator, she is also an entrepreneur and serves as the president of the Women In ICT Foundation. This nonprofit organization is dedicated to providing technology education, leadership opportunities, and entrepreneurship support for women and young girls. Its mission is to address the under-representation of women in leadership roles, policymaking positions, and math-intensive fields of science and technology.
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