Meet Nigerian female engineer Kemisola Bolarinwa, who developed a bra to detect breast cancer.
By creating the smart bra prototype, Bolarinwa brought the concept to the attention of the world in February 2022. It was prompted by her loved one’s 2017 passing.
She claimed that she hardly ever considered breast cancer till her aunt passed away. This was due to the fact that it was only something she heard on the radio or TV.
The first wearable technology startup in Nigeria, Nextwear Technologies, was founded and is led by Bolarinwa. She claimed that after seeing her aunt in the hospital several times before her death, she was inspired to create the smart bra.
It hurt her to see other women fighting breast cancer, she said. After that, she worked harder on the invention.
BBC Africa recognized her invention. Before the smart bra became popular in 2019, Bolarinwa noted that she conducted extensive study for a year and a half.
How a breast cancer bra functions
The smart bra repurposes ultrasound technology into a compact form factor to detect breast abnormalities. The goal of the project is to make an ultrasound machine wearable by making it smaller and more portable.
Nanotechnology, according to Bolarinwa, made this possible. The production of technology in tiny scales is the focus of the science, technology, and engineering field of nanotechnology.
To put things in perspective, the Doppler ultrasound technology, which the smart bra employs, uses high-frequency sound waves to bounce off the body in order to detect blood clots, heart abnormalities, and clogged arteries.
Unlike ultrasound equipment, which create images of the scanned region using sound waves, this operates in a different way.
Further development of the smart bra
She acknowledged that there is still more work to be done before the breast cancer bra can be commercialized, after years of research and prototype development.
According to Bolarinwa, the smart bra still requires substantial clinical research and development. She provided a timeline for mass manufacturing that falls between the end of 2022 and the start of 2023.
In addition to being an inventor, Bolarinwa is a fervent supporter of encouraging more women to pursue careers in STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, and math—having been an enthusiast in these fields from her childhood.
Bolarinwa demanded that more research be done in order for inventions to effectively address the issues for which they are intended. She also bemoaned the lack of sufficient research organizations to offer assistance.
“A fintech platform will be built and ready for the market in four months,” she declared. This is among the causes of Africa’s low participation in the hardware and deep tech industries. The number of research institutes is insufficient.
Who She is
Bolarinwa graduated from the University of Ado-Ekiti (now Ekiti State University) with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering.
She has over ten years of experience, great technological abilities, and a strong ability to solve problems.
She has a strong interest in staying current with emerging technologies and finding solutions to challenging issues.
Bolarinwa, an inventor, innovator, and entrepreneur, is the president of the Women In ICT Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to solving the issue of women’s underrepresentation in leadership, policy-making, and math-intensive fields of science and technology by offering technology education, leadership, and businesses to women and young girls.
Nigeria is blessed with extraordinary and talented innovators, like the 70-year-old man who created more than just innovations. However, their main obstacle is that neither the government nor other reputable organizations nor businesspeople are willing to fund their research and creations.
