Imagine being able to use your phone without worrying about airtime running out. And without having to insert a SIM card. Impossible? This scenario may be closer to reality than you think. A young African man reinvented how phones are used.
Simon Petrus from Abraham Iyambo Senior Secondary School in Namibia created a wireless phone with these amazing features, using collected items such as TV components, light bulbs, phone replacement parts and charger carcasses.
The phone picks up calls through radio frequencies thus you don’t need airtime. It also receives signals from a local (Namibian) television channel and is powered by a radiator. Could this be the device that disrupts mobile telephony?
Petrus’ invention earned him first place in the regional leg of the NamPower schools competition. This is the second time he’s reached this stage of the competition, after previously clinching a gold medal for a two-in-one seed drier and cooler machine he invented. The seed drier amazed the judges so much that they thought he had received help from an engineer.
It took Petrus 2 years to complete the device, with support from his unemployed parents. Other features of his invention include sockets, fans and lightbulbs. He is keen in pursuing a career in electronics engineering. We wish him all the best!
