The drones of Cameroon take flight
Drones have a future, all traced in Africa! As demonstrated by flying robots manufacturing 100% in Cameroon and developed by a young company in Douala.
But the true ambition of the young shoot is not only to produce powerful drones in series, it is currently developing an artificial intelligence system that will offer its flying machines complete autonomy.
The drones have long demonstrated that we could perfectly use them other than as a killing machine.
In Africa, some of these devices have been transformed into helicopter rescue kits, others protect the environment, guide tourism activities or accompany scientific missions requiring aerial observation.
“However, most of these devices were until now designed, developed and manufactured by companies outside the continent,” said William Elong.
This 25-year-old entrepreneur, who has returned from a brilliant economic background and an MBA from France, has embarked on the high-tech sector.
The workshops of its companies “Will & Brothers” and “Drone Africa” located in Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon, produce on demand and in 24 hours any type of devices, from the simplest to the most complex.
“More economical than imported robots”
“Our flying machines are more economical than the imported robots, because our customers do not have to pay for the transport, customs or repatriate the logistics for their maintenance”, he added.
This young captain of industry which proposes various models of drones to use professional, like flying wings named “Algo”, “hexacopteres” “Logarithm” and terrestrial drones bearing the name of a river of Cameroon, “Sanaga”.
These remote-controlled devices reach a minimum height of 500m and are equipped with a power supply system that gives them an average autonomy of 25 minutes.
The latest series have been equipped with high definition cameras to map the whole country cheaply, unlike satellite images offered by major digital companies.
Cameroon drones will be used to detect threats in forest or maritime areas, to protect animal parks, farms or mines.
William Elong, who wants to “get the continent out of an Afro-Centrist vision of entrepreneurship,” plans to sell his devices around the world .
Last achievement? The development of an artificial intelligence called Cyclop that would allow Cameroonian drones to identify real-time people, objects, vehicles of animals or used as a surveillance system of sensitive sites. And many other projects of fabulous sky couriers or advanced technologies, just waiting to flourish in Africa, provided that the economic and business ecosystem of the continent is ready to finance them and to welcome them permanently.
