Uganda Flying Labs Relaunches with Renewed Focus on STEM, Health, and Partnerships

By Uganda Flying Labs

'Relaunch' is often defined as a re-start, but we believe it’s a continuation of OpenStreetMap Uganda’s great work. Uganda Flying Labs partners with Ratidzo SpatialTech Ltd  (RST) to give it a new blend. We are excited to see the unfolding of the new partnerships with Universities to provide research and innovation flavor to the robotics industry as we discover the hidden novelty. We believe that it is part of enabling the power of local by training the next generation to be community transformers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). 

Uganda Flying Labs will empower underprivileged youth through STEM in partnership with local schools and universities by showcasing drone technology and its myriad uses: surveillance, delivery, inspection, mapping, photography, and many more. Kids are naturally excited and curious to conduct experiments. Drones offer them a chance to learn and solve problems with a hands-on drone STEM activity. Also, drones involve multiple technologies like electronics, robotics, and aerodynamics, among others.

We work with a dedicated team of robotics and technology experts and partners, such as Innovation Solution Logistics (ISL) and RST, to harmonize hardware and technology compatibility. Uganda Flying Labs is currently working on local partnerships to catalyze robotics growth, including communities embracing terrestrial robots for agriculture, disaster response banking, and more efficient industries—vital in critical services like health care. Uganda Flying Labs plans to expand into diagnostic medical services delivery. 

We have several projects starting soon in the telecommunications industry as technology scales up to 5G. We envision performing aerial surveys to determine the radiation emission integrity as part of the ethical responsibility. The utility sector is also growing, and we plan to introduce them to robotics techniques that will ease inventory counts and line inspections.

With unpredictability due to climate change, Uganda has suffered many disasters. Uganda Flying Labs will launch projects on floods, wetlands, and environmental preservation with the relevant authorities. The communities shall play a vital role in such projects to raise awareness of best practices, get community buy-in, and foster continuity for sustainability. 

We will focus on growing the use of robotics in health, energy, disaster response, and service delivery while introducing drones into agriculture, the environment, and youth programs. We are now developing advanced courses that will address sector specialization.

Finally, we thank OpenStreetMap Uganda for leading Uganda Flying Labs for the past year!