This time of the year, the eLearning Africa Education Show takes place and, in 2010, Lusaka, Zambia is the place where different companies have gathered up in order to present new technologies designed to help the educational system in developing countries. These types of technologies are to be used in African countries where the basic conditions for a learning environment are not met.

"It is important to remember that the electricity supply which we take for granted across the developed world is a tough to get, real logistical challenge in many areas of Africa's developing nations," said Arno’t van Heerden, GM for Africa, at Wyse Technology. "And without an electricity supply, access to life-transforming technology (no matter how cheap or advanced) is denied."

The thin client platforms that Wyse is developing are powered by a 12 volt car battery and a 12 volt display monitor and have been applied on a bus present at the eLearning Africa Education Show. The demonstrated technologies are to allow the children in remote African locations to have access to education.

Thanks to its ultra-low power consumption, this innovative computing concept can be easily applied in other similar situations as well. The whole system can be linked to solar panels in order to have a continuous power source. The satellite internet access on this bus will be provided by Africa's GSM network.

"Wyse has always innovated," added van Heerden, "and what we are showing in Africa today is that many of the technologies we develop for global markets can be adapted for all international environments."

Some of the other applications for this new technology would, of course, be in the field of medicine. Mobile healthcare clinics would be of great use in many developing countries and perhaps the people living there will benefit from a medic's help faster via modern day technology.


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