Nigerian engineer advances open-source robotics, AI research

A Nigerian engineer, Elijah Alabi, is contributing to the growing movement that seeks to make robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) research more open, affordable, and reproducible.

His recent paper, accepted for presentation at the Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems (TAROS) 2023 conference in the United Kingdom, examines an open-source motor driver and its potential to support innovation in robotics and intelligent systems.

Alabi studied Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, where his interest in robotics and intelligent systems first took shape. In 2021, he proceeded to the University of Lincoln in the UK for a Master’s degree in Computer Science, completing his studies with distinction.

His postgraduate research focused on open-source hardware and control systems for large-scale robots, combining principles of electrical engineering and computer science to enable greater accessibility in robotics research.

His paper, ‘Evaluation of OSMC Open Source Motor Driver for Reproducible Robotics Research’, assesses the Open Source Motor Controller (OSMC), a community developed open-source design used to drive electric motors in robots. The study provides one of the first formal academic evaluations of the OSMC and introduces a new open-source control library to make it easier to deploy in research and teaching environments.

Motor drivers are critical components in any robotic system, controlling the motion of wheels, joints, or actuators. However, most available drivers are proprietary, making them expensive and difficult to adapt. Alabi’s work demonstrates that the OSMC can deliver precise and stable control in both rotary and linear motor applications, performing comparably to commercial products. The accompanying Arduino-based software developed in the project allows researchers to experiment with proportional–integral–derivative (PID) control, a system used in autonomous vehicles and industrial robotics.

By releasing the designs and code publicly, the project supports reproducible research, where other scientists can replicate experiments, validate results, and build upon existing work. This openness is increasingly seen as essential to trustworthy intelligent control systems and robotics development.

Alabi believes that such open tools can have particular value in Nigeria, where the cost of equipment limits access to practical robotics education.

“Open-source robotics gives students and researchers in developing countries the ability to test real systems without depending on imported proprietary parts,” he explained.

“With the growing interest in AI and automation, it is important that Nigeria also develops the technical foundation for experimentation and innovation.”

As robotics and AI continue to transform global industries, efforts such as Alabi’s show how Nigerian researchers are contributing to a more inclusive and sustainable technological future.

He intends to focus on AI research as he looks to pursue a PhD degree.

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