An inventor has created a unique way to keep traffic orderly in the chaotic city of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo--8-foot tall robots that raise electronic arms to direct vehicles and pedestrians.
Isaie Therese is the woman behind the two mechanical traffic police, which are silvery, solar-powered humanoids, Jalopnik reported via VICE.
The area has had major problems with traffic congestion and management for years, many issues stemming from people who ignored traditional lights and even traffic police on foot.
"As a motorcyclist I'm very happy with the robot's work," one commuter told CCTV Africa. "Because when the traffic police control the cars here there's still a lot of traffic. But since the robot arrived, we see truly that the commuters are respectful."
The two machines, which have a classic robot look with a slightly boxy shape, have signals in their arms with red, yellow and green lights. They also have LED screens that can display "walk" and "don't walk" signals and cameras that can capture pictures of anyone who breaks the law.
The devices' arms can move up and down, and the entire machine can pivot so it can turn toward traffic violators. Since they are solar-powered, the giant humanoids can run all day and then continue into the night with solar-charged batteries, according to Jalopnik.
Pedestrians and drivers have been complying with traffic laws to a much greater extent under the new regime. Time will tell if the robots are successfully curbing unruly traffic because they truly work or because they are a novelty.
As a woman working in the male-dominated field of robotics, Therese is a tech pioneer that could serve as a role model for future generations.
She told CCTV that she designed the robots to help her country, which greatly needs to improve its roads.
"We are a poor country and our government is looking for money," she said. "And I will tell you that with the roads the government has built, it needs to recover its money."
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