Africa React to African innovator Who Built a Self Powered TV & Hybrid Engine Powered Helicopter
Maxwell Chikumbutso is a name synonymous with innovation and renewable energy solutions. Born in Zimbabwe, he has dedicated his life to creating technologies that not only push the boundaries of what’s possible but also have the potential to change the world. The 43-year-old Zimbabwean inventor and innovator is best known for developing a green power generator which can produce electricity using radio frequency. His activities are generally referred to as “wireless energy transmission innovation” which includes a long line of inventions: hybrid engine powered helicopter, an electric car, a magnetic converter, a green power generator and a drone , which are products of the company he founded and named “Saith Technologies”. This gifted innovator dropped out of school, Dzivarasekwa 2 High School in Harare, Zimbabwe when in form 2, and he was then aged between 13 and 14. The self-taught scientist therefore made ground-breaking moves to enter the highly competitive aviation and hi-tech global entrepreneurial ecosystem. With all these inventions, he clinched huge deals for his products in various parts of the world – his magnetic converters, green power generators, drones and automated disinfecting machine are in high demand. He adds that he worked on that machine after watching how much difficulty countries experienced in disinfecting public places, during the pandemic. Chikumbutso’s main ambition is to combine scientific invention and top-notch business. The Saith Technologies, that started modestly, has the potential to grow into a billion-dollar company that supplies electric cars, helicopters, telecoms solutions, security and surveillance, UAVs, traffic safety and lighting products as well as MSED Powered (a self-powered device) home lights using wireless energy transmission. One factor that makes these discoveries unique is that most of them are based on rudimentary materials, gathered from Harare’s popular Siyato Market. Chikumbutso turns such basic stuff into highly-engineered materials and he is said to have been “snatched” by the US because of his talents in 2017, a fact that he recounts in these terms: “the US government saw what Africa did not”, then he adds “I always love Africa and I’m so proud of being born and raised in Africa. I will surely come back to Zimbabwe where everything started”. Part of his suffering stems from the fact that he did not get encouragement and validation from his own people, when he needed that.