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In honor of Women’s History month, comes a great story of a female engineer who invented robots to help control traffic and deal with police corruption in her country.



Thérèse Izay is an engineer from The Democratic Republic of Congo who also runs a women’s technology cooperative. She created robots, which not only help direct traffic, but also have cameras that are linked to a central computer to record violations, moving or otherwise. The robots are installed at two intersections in the DRC capital city of Kinshasa, a city of millions with a horrific traffic problem. It’s normal there for drivers to be stuck in traffic for hours. The city is also unfortunately notorious for its corrupt traffic police. Having robots helps lessen cops collecting bribes from drivers and pedestrians.



So far, residents seem to like their robot traffic police. Intersections have been reported to be safer for drivers and pedestrians. Congestion has also lessened where the robots are located. The metallic humanoids are unable to accept or ask for bribes, so naturally corruption lessened in the city as well. Something residents of Kinshasa greatly appreciate.



Ms. Izay hopes to someday have the robots installed all across Africa, and eventually, world wide to help to create jobs and promote women in engineering. Perhaps some day soon, your local traffic officer will be one of the robotic variety.