África e as novas tecnologias
Published24 Mar 2015
Qual é o impacto das novas tecnologias em África? Jonathan M. Ledgard, correspondente do The Economista e Director do future Africa initiative, escreve sobre dez tendências que podem mudar o futuro do continente.
1. Droneports
Because connectivity defines modern prosperity, and because Africa will not be able to build roads fast enough to manage its growth, the continent will be the first to adopt cargo drones at massive scale. But drones need somewhere to land. So in 2015 we will see the first concepts for droneports out of Africa. They will be clean-energy, open to sky and nature, and mix the civic quality of early Victorian railway stations with souks and the latest airport technology – in other words, the petrol station of the 21st century.2. Robotics
It’s not just flying robots that hold economic promise for Africa. The ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa has reinforced the lessons of Fukushima. In the kind of emergency where it’s dangerous for humans to be in contact with one another, robotics can help to screen for radiation or for infectious disease. Currently, there are not enough advanced robots to do the remote tasks we need them to do. It might seem counterintuitive to promote robotics in the context of high youth unemployment and pervasive poverty. But African economies will engineer efficiencies through automation that they would otherwise not be able to afford. Look to the Africa Robotics Network and research universities inside and outside Africa, which will spread robotics beyond humanitarian use into the production of robots. In particular, there will be more research into robotics for healthcare and search-and-rescue functions.3. Space
The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) astronomy project in South Africa’s Kalahari desert promises to massively advance space science in Africa. The SKA’s goal is to map the early universe using radio telescopes, and the first phase of the project is capped at $740 million. The necessary computing architecture will be among most advanced on the planet. SKA will eventually produce more data than the rest of the world’s astronomy projects combined. In 2015, we will also see private space initiatives, including the South African investor Elon Musk’s Space X begin consideration of private launch sites in Africa, ahead of the many rocket launches expected to take place before NASA sends humans to Mars in 2035. Located on the equator and with plenty of space, Africa has the potential to be a major player in space exploration.