By: Nokulunga Lebambo

A 22-year-old innovator from Bushbuckridge is defying the odds and aiming straight for the future and possibly the world stage.Aubrey Shabane, is creating a brain-controlled prosthetic arm, a groundbreaking invention designed to help people living with disabilities reach and move objects without human assistance.

What makes the achievement even more remarkable is that Shabane is self-taught, armed with curiosity, scrap materials, and a dream that refuses to die.Growing up, Shabane says curiosity often got him into trouble but it also laid the foundation for his journey into innovation.“I was always curious. I would take apart old radios and TV sets just to see how they were wired inside and then connect them again, My parents thought I was naughty, but little did they know that was the beginning of my journey into innovation and robotics.” he said.

Shabane reveals that growing up without toys pushed him to create his own, using wires and scrap metal inspired by his grandfather, who was a mechanic.“Not having toys forced me to create my own. I made cars from wires and scrap materials. Seeing something I built from nothing move for the first time changed everything,” he said. Shabane has already built a robot known as MJ, but he insists this is only the beginning.

Working day and night, he continues to experiment with electricity, tools, wires, and artificial intelligence, with his sights firmly set on the health sector.“My goal is to create a fully functional AI-powered robot that can assist in hospitals taking temperatures, detecting symptoms, lifting patients, and delivering medication without human intervention, It may sound far-fetched, but I work day and night to make this dream a reality.” he said.Shabane says his mission goes beyond innovation and that he wants to transform lives and inspire young people from rural communities to believe that their dreams are valid.