Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
AFTER seeing physically challenged people struggle to move around or cross streets in Victoria Falls, 16-year-old Lasiwenzi Chirenga decided to invent a motorised hoverboard that can be an answer to their challenges.
The hoverboard could also be a new tourism product as tourists can hop on and ride around town or to nearby leisure spots.
A hoverboard is a floating board with a set of balancing wheels either side and is used for personal leisure transportation.
Lasiwenzi is a Form Three learner at Mkhosana Adventist Secondary School in Victoria Falls and his idea could be the link that has been missing.
His idea also fits well with the City of Victoria Falls’ five-year strategic plan where the local authority is pushing for a “green city” status with climate-neutral transportation comprising more bicycles than cars in the city centre.
Pedestrians and electric cars will be part of the new normal in the zero-emission zone envisaged by council in its five-year strategic plan that is still being worked on and will be aligned to the National Development Strategy (NDS1).
Lasiwenzi exhibited the hoverboard at the belated International Literacy Day celebrations held at Mosi-oa-Tunya High School in Victoria Falls last Thursday.
Selected schools from all the country’s 10 provinces showcased innovations made by formal and non-formal learners at the occasion which was officiated by Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Eveline Ndlovu who asked to pose for a photo with Lasiwenzi after being charmed by his invention.
Dr Ndlovu said such inventions need to be supported. Lasiwenzi said the hoverboard can be mounted with a chair to make it a wheelchair.
It can be fitted with bigger wheels for use as a game drive vehicle. “I started making this machine in October last year. I started thinking about the idea when I saw a physically disabled person struggling to cross a road without anyone to assist him.
“I was touched and from that day I started thinking about how to help such people. This is how the idea came up as I started reflecting on how to implement the science concepts that we are taught at school,” said Lasiwenzi.
He demonstrated how the three-wheel machine works saying it consists of two turbines, the first one working as an engine and source of motion for the wheels and the other one for controlling wheels.
Both turbines will be connected to remote control sensors and the operator will be using a remote to drive the hoverboard forward, back or to turn the wheels sideways.
A 12V battery is fitted to the device and connected to an alternator that generates power to recharge the battery.
There are two chains connected to the rear wheel and this acts as a drive shaft.
“This is a reliable means of transport as it doesn’t need any fuel but automatically self-charges the battery. It can also use solar panels to recharge batteries while in motion which makes it modified than the ordinary hoverboard that people know which can run out of battery.
“So this can be used as a means of transport for disabled people as they move around. With support, this is an invention that can transform lives of people living with physical disability as they can kiss goodbye to manual wheelchairs or crutches and they won’t need much effort using this,” said Lasiwenzi. He said he derived the name from the existing hoverboard but modified it.
In South Africa there is what is called rickshaw bike which is used to transport tourists around the streets of tourism cities especially in Durban.
Lasiwenzi says his hoverboard can carry two people.
“This one is very efficient and can even be used as a mode of transport in the tourism industry. When a tourist wants to go for shopping he or she can use this. It’s fun and has no extra costs as someone can just hop onto it and start enjoying the scenery and other activities.
“I am working on upgrading it to have bigger wheels so that it can also be used for game drives or nature rides,” said the young boy.
Tourists use specially designed game drive vehicles, bicycles, motorcycles or ride horses when enjoying moving around tourism places.
Lasiwenzi said his vision is to register a company and sell the hoverboards.
He said his greatest challenge is materials and he made the prototype using scrap items from the dumpsite and wishes to get assistance with registering a company and sourcing raw materials. He is the second born in a family of three and said his dream is to become a mechanical engineer.
His father Mr Loveridge Chirenga is a mechanic while his mother Mrs Talent Chirenga is a driving school instructor. —@ncubeleon
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter