KANGAUDE ANTENNA PATENTED

In the past couple of years, the country has come to realize that Chancellor College has the capacity to produce inventions which have the potential of making the lives of Malawians easier. One of the most recent inventions comes from the Faculty of Science, through the patenting of a new invention, dubbed the Kangaude Antenna. The antenna is jointly patented by Dr Chomora Mikeka, as the researcher, and Mr Wilson Manjano Chirwa, the industry partner who is charged with mass producing the antennas for sale.

Dr Mikeka is a Senior Lecturer in Physics & Electronics at Chancellor College. According to him, research work towards developing the antenna has been going on for the past three years. The primary material used in constructing the antenna is copper wire. However, other materials can be incorporated in the construction.

The name of the device is inspired by the spider, called kangaude in Chichewa, which constructs a web designed to trap a wide range of insect prey. Similarly, the Kangaude antenna is able to catch a wide portfolio of signals, such as White Space Internet signals and Digital TV signals.

The invention has already created a buzz of interest, with a lot of people within the Chancellor College community expressing the desire to acquire the devices for themselves. This is an eventuality that fits very well into the ‘Buy Malawi’ initiative currently running in the country.