Design students at the Tshwane University of Technology, in Pretoria, will be connected to the happenings at the Design Indaba thanks to the MTN "Connector Bot" programme.
Currently being held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), delegates at the annual design conference will share the floor with several Connector Bot beta test proxy droids. The bots will run a live, two-way uplink, streaming footage from the event to students over 1 000km away.
Serame Taukobong, chief marketing officer at MTN SA, describes the telecoms brand's sponsorship of the Design Indaba for the second consecutive year as an "honour and privilege".
"At this year's event, we will showcase how digital innovation can enable South Africans to connect to the rapid technological change."
Design student, Emma Cooper, described the vibe at TUT as "buzzing", despite some minor technical issues. "Just being able to be part of the experience is amazing."
"Woo-hoo, on our way to Design Indaba - virtually with the connect-a-bot!! [sic]" tweeted TUT student Miranda Brits, later tweeting: "Let's keep up the tweets and donate to this worthy cause!! Thank you MTN for connecting us, the students @TUT."
Developed to connect the disconnected, the Connector Bots were engineered by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the design students will pilot the bots via intuitive touch-screen controls. The Connector Bots will be the eyes and ears of the TUT students, allowing them to enjoy the event like any other delegate. The bots are able to rove around the convention centre, attend lectures and interact with other delegates and speakers.
For Taukobong, the programme showcases how mobile telephone networks can be used as a vehicle to advance the African continent by connecting those in need through innovation.
"Moving towards a vision of broadband for all will allow South Africa and the rest of Africa to adapt to changing conditions, and quality education is the most sustainable way to break the cycles of poverty and provide young people with a brighter future," says MTN.
Where it began
"MTN wanted to create something that would leave a lasting impact on the delegates, remote participants and media interacting at Design Indaba," says MTN of the programme. Working with its creative agency and the CSIR, the telecoms brand conceptualised the 'Connector Bot', which would stream conference footage to anywhere in the country.
"The CSIR created a beta test proxy droid that is linked to an LTE modem, which connects to the main controller board and enables us to control the robot from anywhere in the world as long as it has an Internet connection," says MTN.
During the three-day conference, live updates of the Connector Bots' activities will be broadcast at the MTN Expo stand. Delegates who visit the stand will also be able to interact with the students in Pretoria.
As part of the brand's Connect to Create initiative, for every 500 tweets with the hashtag #MTNConnectCreate, MTN will donate a tablet device, with free data for a year, to a previously disadvantaged student identified by the Tshwane University of Technology.
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