Kemisola Bolarinwa, a Nigerian robotics and embedded systems engineer, created a smart bra that may detect breast cancer in its early stages before symptoms appear.
Bolarinwa, who was inspired by the death of a loved one in 2017, created the smart bra prototype that she unveiled to the public in February 2022.
Engr Kemisola Bolarinwa, Founder and chief executive officer of Nextwear Technologies
She claimed that prior to her aunt’s passing, she hardly gave breast cancer any thought because she had only ever heard about it on the radio or TV.
Bolarinwa, the creator and CEO of Nextwear Technologies, the country’s first wearable tech firm, stated that she was inspired to create the smart bra after frequently visiting the hospital where her aunt was receiving care prior to her passing.
She added that it hurt to see other women struggling with breast cancer, and she made more of an effort to advance the invention’s development.
BBC Africa acknowledged her creation and said that she conducted extensive research for a year and a half before the release of the smart bra in 2019.
How the smart bra functions
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The goal of the smart bra project is to reduce the size of ultrasound equipment to a wearable level by repurposing it to detect breast abnormalities in a compact form factor.
Bolarinwa claimed that nanotechnology, a field of study that combines engineering, science, and technology, made this feasible by producing technology in tiny quantities.
To put things in perspective, the Doppler ultrasound technology, which the smart bra employs, uses high-frequency sound waves to bounce off the body in order to detect blood clots, heart abnormalities, and clogged arteries. Unlike ultrasound equipment, which creates images of the scanned region using sound waves, this operates differently.
Meet Kemisola Bolarinwa
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Bolarinwa graduated from the University of Ado-Ekiti (now Ekiti State University) with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering.
She has over ten years of experience, is highly tech-savvy, has a strong problem-solving background, and is passionate about staying current with emerging technologies and solving challenging puzzles.
Bolarinwa, an inventor, innovator, and entrepreneur, is the president of the Women In ICT Foundation, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to solving the issue of women’s underrepresentation in leadership, policy-making, and math-intensive fields of science and technology by offering technology education, leadership, and businesses to women and young girls.
Nigeria is blessed with extraordinary and talented innovators, like the 70-year-old guy who created more than just innovations. However, their main obstacle is that neither the government nor other reputable organisations nor businesspeople are willing to fund their research and creations.
