Drones are used to fight worthy, but sometimes not so worthy battles.

Mr Moses Gichanga shows some of his innovations, during the interview at the Nation Centre in Nairobi on October 22, 2014. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• They have the potential to fly for two hours at a speed of 100 kilometres per hour. That means they can fly from Nairobi to Molo non-stop in two hours. However, one would need to change the batteries for the trip back.
• Indeed, the original motivation to design the machines was to fight poaching, which now poses a major threat to elephants and rhinos in Kenya, with the potential to cut off revenue from tourism and deny future generations the pleasure of watching such species grazing in parks.
• Mr Gichanga’s aircraft is fitted with a camera which can provide real time video coverage. It is, in its barest essentials, a flying CCTV camera that can be used for surveillance.

By ODONGO
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That is why Mr Moses Gichanga, 31, is reluctant to call his creation a drone although it flies like one and, from a distance, looks like one.

“I call it an Unmanned Aerial System,” says Mr Gichanga, who has already put on test flights three machines that can fly unmanned up to a height of a kilometre and a half while carrying a weight of about five kilogrammes.

They have the potential to fly for two hours at a speed of 100 kilometres per hour. That means they can fly from Nairobi to Molo non-stop in two hours. However, one would need to change the batteries for the trip back.

Mr Gichanga, who lives in Kiambu County, acknowledges that he is yet to put any of his devices on long-range flight.

“You need a licence from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority because they do not have exemptions for unmanned planes. The law is yet to recognise them. They need all aircraft to have transponders for tracking planes which are larger than my craft. You also require another licence from the Communication Authority of Kenya because you will use radio frequency to transmit instructions to and from the craft,” he says.

To get around this challenge, he uses free spectrum licences for individuals who have Wi-Fi networks. This, however, drastically reduces the range of his device.

Although drones were originally designed as military equipment, Mr Gichanga hopes that the machines he has assembled will be used for civilian work, including conservation.

POACHING

Indeed, the original motivation to design the machines was to fight poaching, which now poses a major threat to elephants and rhinos in Kenya, with the potential to cut off revenue from tourism and deny future generations the pleasure of watching such species grazing in parks.

“I visited the Tsavo National Park and came across a giant skeleton of an elephant that had been killed by poachers. The sight made me want to find a cheap way to protect the animals,” he said.

“KWS does have aircraft but those ones are manned and very large. The noise alone can alert poachers. A human operator in planes also means that the lives of wardens are in danger. A small unmanned plane would be the best thing to use to police the skies above our national parks”.

His latest creation measures slightly less than a metre with a wingspan of about 75cm. He assembled it from various electronic components before clothing the flying device in black foam chiselled to look like the body of a small aircraft.

He got the inspiration for the design from studying aircraft made by the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force that the Nazis used during World War II.

“A lot of their planes did not follow conventional ideas on what a plane should look like,” he says.

Mr Gichanga’s aircraft is fitted with a camera which can provide real time video coverage. It is, in its barest essentials, a flying CCTV camera that can be used for surveillance.

The video filmed during the flight can then be analysed using computer software to map out threats, for example human-like figures in forests with endangered animal or plant species.

Not all of his devices are assembled to the last detail. Indeed, many have an unfinished look. However, Gichanga says this is deliberate. He hopes that those who are curious about the devices will be encouraged to take a closer look in the hope that they can learn more about how it works.

“I use locally available materials to craft my creations, in part to inspire children to see that they can also create such inventions. Buying your child a machine-made, industrially assembled toy that hides all the wiring does not spark their curiosity,” he says.

According to him, the machines have the potential to improve security and conduct surveillance over national borders. They can also be used to conduct mineral and even crop studies.

Background
Sole African in Australia contest
Mr Gichanga is a member of the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation. The commission has funded some of his innovations. He flies his aircraft in open fields and has a research licence from the commission.

He has, in the past, discussed the possibility of using his creations for conservation with the Kenya Wildlife Service.

One prototype with three propellers and made from PVC tubes costs more than Sh250,000 to put together.

According to his estimates, a device made for wildlife surveillance would cost about Sh4 million. A competing surveillance system unit from America would cost about Sh15 million.

He says the price is increased by the need to install software and acquire licences for operation.

“You require supplies software, licences and training personnel to use the system and this is what inflates the cost,” he says.
Mr Gichanga was picked for the annual outback challenge in Australia.

“That they would hide a dummy in a forest and use an aerial system to find the dummy and drop it a bottle of water.”

He was the only African who qualified for the challenge but was unable to afford the trip.