Congratulations Dr. Davies Segera from the Department of Electrical and Information Engineering for showcasing one of the most innovative creations during the 7th edition of the Nairobi Innovation Week. Dr. Segera was awarded the UoN Innovators Award certificate and a cash prize of KES 60,000. Dr. Segera exhibited the Low-cost C-PAP machine for aiding in breathing difficulties in local hospitals. 

About the Innovation:

The oxygen concentration delivered to newborns in respiratory distress needs to be titrated to prevent hyperoxia. The state-of-the-art oxygen blenders have limited application in resource-deprived settings due to their heavy reliance on electricity, compressed air, skilled maintenance, and high cost. Moreover,some are too noisy and cannot be easily detached to facilitate cleaning.

In trying to overcome these challenges, this research demonstrates the feasibility of manufacturing an
air-oxygen blender that is extremely cheap, easy to use, quiet, does not require electricity or
compressed air, and can provide accurate concentrations of oxygen for optimal delivery to neonates
with respiratory distress. Moreover, by just increasing the dimensions of the proposed blender, the
the same approach can be adopted to deliver titrated oxygen to adults in respiratory distress.

Profile: Dr. Davies Segera

Dr. Segera is a lecturer at the Department of Electrical and Information Engineering. His research interests are Intelligent systems, Machine Learning, Big Data, High-Speed Switching, Artificial Intelligence, Data and Information coding, and Data Science.

Dr. Segera is involved in the development of the 1st Kenyan University Nanosatellite (1KUNS), the University of Nairobi Tower Standby generator changeover problem and the University of Nairobi Critical Care Ventilator.