The internet, to me is the most amazing invention of all time. It takes interaction and sharing of ideas to a whole new level breaking every barrier previously known to man.

In appreciation of this every year Mozilla gathers makers, designers, builders, coders and creative folks to come into one innovation garage. This allows individuals to share ideas and make them a reality.

Like many other firms, BRCK exists only because the web exists. It is important to us to share our knowledge and ideas with the community and to build on some of those ideas together.  A couple of months back we decided to follow through on working with the Raspberry Pi.

We have used it on projects such as our education project.
In February of this year Erik asked me to load some applications that we can use for offline use on our BRCK+Pi add-on for the BRCK device.  This takes a normal BRCK and then adds a Raspberry Pi compute module to it to provide computing and more storage to the already existing connectivity on the device.  In essence we get a rugged micro-server.

A few hours later I had Ushahidi and Etherpad-lite on it. The next step was to try and figure out what can we do to take this to the next step. This is where the idea of CrisisStack came into play.

We thought it would be nice to have a clean interface where users can easily choose what applications they want to install, launch and delete as they wish. It would act as a form of the offline internet. A user would be able to interact with this and they should feel like they are on the open Web. If they then get a connection to the internet the applications on the device can then sync the data.

We are proud to release a Beta Version of CrisisStack to the community via crisisstack.com

Some screen shots below.

Application Installation Screen

Application Launch screen

It was therefore my mission to share what I have done so far with open technology with the greater network of people at Mozfest. The event was scheduled to run from Saturday through to Sunday.

For those of you who have attended Mozfest before, I am sure you would agree that we need to invent a way of being in two places at once. There was a lot happening from the open garage to different training and discussion sessions. So much to do, but impossible to do it all.

I started off by showing off my BRCK to a few folks and a standard raspberry PI explaining how things work. I then took it a step ahead and decided to expound on how the device would work when off the grid.  I then took out the BRCK+Pi from my bag. I highlighted what we had done differently and how one can achieve it .

We started of seating around showing them the application and how it works. We then sat down and started chatting about how we could improve the system.  Some of the things we talked about were:

Having a central system where we could pull all our application(s) from. This would act more like an application store. This would allow us to have one central place where:

1. Developers could upload their applications
2. We could all collaborate on what it would take on building a standard for web applications to truly run offline
3. How to build Operating system independent web applications. That is one that runs on phones, tablets, desktops and the raspberry PI.  
4. Extending firefox OS for the raspberry PI
5. Building add-ons that make it easier for the whole community to add anything they needed to an OS.
6. Providing a priority on application using the data

Because pictures are worth 1000 words

“Mozilla UK community leader at work”

Richard and I chatting on possibilities

Engineers going hard at it – Snacks never miss 🙂

All in all it was amazing. We talked a lot about Linux, possibilities with these offline web applications, packaging and distributing them even beyond Raspbian(Linux distribution for raspberry PI).  We left with some improvements that we are looking to implement. Later this week we plan to have an LDLN release for BRCK+PI.  We also looked into a “lighter”(less resource heavy) language that would then  result a faster and smoother experience. Remember on these small devices we have to be selfish when it comes to how we use our resources because of many other factors such as power(which would most likely be from the battery).

I am going to start working on this in the coming weeks in a different fork of the same repository. I think it is safe to say this was some good fun and I look forward to Mozfest next year.

Watch this space to see what we shall have for you in the next few months.

To keep up with CrisisStack please visit us here

Half way between Nairobi and Mombasa are two of Kenya’s largest national parks Tsavo East and Tsavo West.  These parks are known for both their wildlife and also their fairly severe poaching problems.  To counteract this Tsavo West National Park has created a 100² km sanctuary within the park specifically for protecting rhinos.  It has been quite successful; there has not been a single poaching incident in the sanctuary and it is now reached capacity with about 60 rhinos.  In fact there are plans to create a similar sanctuary in Tsavo East.

A shot of just one of the many elephants we saw during the trip.

Currently the rangers who patrol this sanctuary fill out special forms recording everything from the condition of the fence, the location of a carcass to of course the identification and location of rhinos.  The information on these forms is later entered into an electronic database where it can be analyzed as needed.  But there is a delay in both the filling of the forms and the transfer of data and so the information is somewhat unused.

The Linköping University in Sweden has partnered with iHub Consulting and the iHub UX Lab to migrate the forms from paper to a simple app on a ruggedized smart phone.  With this method not only is the information presented almost immediately  on an online map but the time and location is more accurate and even pictures can be included with the data.

Connectivity in the sanctuary is weak to say the least.  So when the team got wind of BRCK and all that it is capable of they were immediately interested.  The BRCK, with an external antenna, can make use of the weak 2G (Edge) connection that is in the park.  And, as a bonus, the BRCK can charge off raw power from solar panels and then charge the phones from the USB port.

So on Wednesday and Thursday this past week I joined the team as they went out to do some field research.  The main purpose of the trip was to demonstrate the app to the rangers and get some user feedback.  (For example, they immediately pointed out that the pouch for the phones should not use Velcro since it makes too much noise and the rhinos, or other wildlife, may become aware of the ranger.  Just another reason why it is so important we live in the context where our devices will be used.)

Getting feedback on the ranger app.

I came along to evaluate the connectivity situation and I must say, it was rather fun.  We had special access to the sanctuary and I sat on root of the Safari truck as we drove around collecting signal strength and connectivity data.  The rugged Tsavo landscape is beautiful and the recent rains meant everything is nice and green.  Although the foliage is thick we still saw some zebra, impala and quite a number of elephants though unfortunately no rhinos.

I am also happy to report that with one of our large antennas I was able to get connectivity throughout the sanctuary.  Most of the time the phones reported absolutely no signal and only the BRCK with antenna was able to provide a connection.   In some places the phones would report that they had found a 2G connection but further testing showed that the testing often did not work or was sporadic at best.  The Edge connection is admittedly slow so the project might have to control the number of simultaneous users but otherwise everything should work well.

Typical BRCK office-on-the-go.

The plan is to install a BRCK at each of the dozen bases throughout the sanctuary that the rangers use as bases for their patrols.  The BRCKs can then provide connectivity as well as charging capabilities when needed.  Just another great example of how people are using BRCK’s to solve problems in emerging markets.

We spend the afternoon at BongoHive today interacting with the tech community in Zambia.

Who was there?

We had product based start ups, some service based start ups, education based programs, some designers and developers. It was cool to meet these young entrepreneurs thinking of hardware

DEMONSTRATING THE BRCK

First Reg Orton and Phil Walton from the BRCK spent some time demonstrating and talking to the community about the BRCK. They spend a quality 45 mins with the community speaking not only of the genesis of the BRCK and why it was awesome, but some of the challenges of building hardware in Africa; from lack of quality human resource to manufacturing and customs challenges. They also spoke of lessons learnt from expeditions and putting the BRCK though tough situations. I for instance learnt the dust proof and secured lighting on the be BRCK was as result of the Turkana expedition which had sand storms, rain and other challenges thrown at the first version BRCK.

HUMAN CENTERED DESIGN

I spent some time sharing some thoughts on Human Centered Designs and some examples of why this makes sense, especially in a resource-constrained environment. It was based on practical methods, pros and cons of each. It was particularly nice to have some of the startups come up to me later and say they have been inspired or learnt from the presentation and will be making efforts to talk to their users.

CREATING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS

Erik Hersman has been around the block. He did a really open Q&A with the startups around building a business, securing investment and growing a business. One of the most insightful things that came out of the discussion is that there are people willing to invest in startups, but there far too few startups that are investment ready, speak the right business language and have prepared their business side of their tech. Another insight for me was the fact that having a great idea and a great team is not enough. He emphasized the value of a good network, which is often not well taken care of as people spend time building products and services.

It was quite interesting to me to observe the quality of individuals in the room. While the community is still nascent, the right people seem to be in the space. Hungry, motivated, willing to learn and that is quite refreshing to see. I think BongoHive is heading for big things.

STARTUP WEEKEND

It was the first time I saw Erik Hersman and Juliana Rotich share wisdom with startups about founding companies, building great team among other inspiring stories. While a lot of the startups had come to hear about product, capital and such, most of the talk was insights about people. Erik described people as the most important asset you will have. They also spent time on culture; the culture you build and defend should be unique to you and embody what your collective attitude is. Finally, the courage to do hard things. Doing hard things mean you have less people to compete with and more interesting things to do.

A great  day of sharing and learning happened at BongoHive and I’m grateful to have been there.

Along this trip, we are really putting the BRCK to the test. We are trying as hard as we can to dog-food this thing in the most extreme environments to see where it falls down and where it stands
up. Here is just a snippet of what we’ve learn’t so far. Some of it reinforces what we know and a lot of it, thankfully, is breaking down our preconceptions.

“Pickin’ up good vibrations”

We did a lot to make BRCK robust, we’ve used thicker than normal circuit boards, everything is tied down with multiple methods and in all directions. Hitting these washboards, thowing the BRCKs in
the truck and just plain misusing it has shown a few things. So far its done well, with all our BRCKs behaving flawlessly, other than one small thing. The microUSB cable keeps walking out! We know
we need to move away from this connector, but we really love it for so many reasons. Its one less cable to lose, one less to carry, and I have 20 spares at home.

450km of this. #brckexpedition

A photo posted by Reg (@regorton) on Nov 11, 2014 at 9:30pm PST

Dust and Water (Fire and Ice?) 

Dust, its part of what defines Africa and part of what makes working in this continent so hard. The dust here is like nothing I’d seen before moving here, and something that is hard to comprehend.
If you look back in the blog, you may see our trip to Turkana. In this trip, we changed a lot about how V1 was made, specifically we moved the power button from the top to the side, and really
improved its weather sealing. Its these small changes that make a huge difference out here in the bundus. Driving from Arusha to Dodoma in Tanzania reinforced that thought. While the BRCK fared quite
well, it always astounds me where dust can get to.

We’ve often run on the theory that if you have a BRCK, you have a smartphone, laptop or some other high value equipment. Unfortunately this trip has shown that’s just not as valid as we hoped. The
BRCK is your often your only connection, your lifesaver, your redundancy. I have a laptop, a phone and iPad and many more, any one of these can get me online. I think the assumption is not true any more.

“Failure is not an option.”

But it will happen. We have to be realistic here. We are working in environments that are tough, dirty, messy and we must. As above, in order to make the device less complex we purposefully used
the thought pattern that ‘the BRCK will do the hard work for you’, but its frustrating to just wait in the dark. I want to know why it’s failing, and I want to help it get online now. We are activly working on improving the offline experience of the BRCK, like said before, its not going to be a traditional router experience, but conversational, something that gives you the information you need to know, but isn’t just for a networking expert to understand. With us on the trip is Mark Kamau, from the iHub UX lab, Mark is going to help us form a better mechanism for explaining why you damned BRCK isn’t working and how you can get it back online.

The Land Rover just 48 hrs before departure

“Right here, right now”

This trip has been taxing, and we are only half way though. Sometimes in these taxing times when you are tired, dehydrated and hungry the last thing I want to have do is fiddle with tech, all I
wnat to do is make sure things are working, send an email home and get to bed. Right now there are 2 speed hiccups with BRCK. Firstly boot time, the BRCK typically boots in less than 45 seconds,
but then latching a network takes time and if something goes wrong then trying to rectify that with antennas, APN settings, checking the charge level all take time. Also, just doing prechecks in
the morning takes time, there are many things to do. Check the oil, check the tyre pressure, GPS batteries, everything bolted down and . Right now, we are working on the offline functionality to
speed this up and give you more information right there. For V2 we are going to address this, additionally, we are investigating display options so that you can see the status of your BRCK even
when its off, getting you all the information you need instantly.

One of the challenges while traveling across Africa is connectivity. The experience of getting connected is often quite slow and unpredictable, especially when you are transiting through countries with places to be before  dark. Yesterday was a case in point. 

We were trying to get an MTN Line in Zambia so that we could connect the BRCK and test it while on the road across Zambia. It took over an 2 hour to get a SIM, have it registered, activated and ready for use. With over 960KM to cover, it is simply time we couldn’t afford. A the MTN shop, just getting the SIM took over 40 mins,. This took away precious time and even after an hour, we had to drive away without registration, which meant we could use the SIM. The instruction was to dial 111 every 10-20 mins until we were registered. This took another hour before we were good to go. 

The second challenge was the data bundles. We are going to be in Zambia for 2 days. We needed a plan where we could be online, unlimited, for 2 days. This does not exist. We could either buy 1GB each time and do the process all over again when it ran out, or buy a month-long unlimited plan, which was quite expensive. We are having to load 1GB each time. The system doesn’t warn when about to run out, it just cuts off. Its up to you to figure out if you are too far in the bush and therefore with no service, or whether it is your bundles that have run out. The instruction to check are nowhere accessible at the moment. I am sure if I called I would get them, but I shouldn’t have to. There is need for companies to consider not just the ability to connect people, but the experience of doing so to. It is not enough to have branding and cool premises, it is actually the service experience that primarily counts.

Eventually we got it going and I think the BRCK does a remarkable job, especially with the omni-directional Antenna. We steadily got 90+ connectivity whenever there was a signal, even when the signal was pretty weak out in the bush. 

BRCK has a great relationship with the folks over at openROV, the creators of underwater exploration robots. They set us up with one of their units and we jumped at the opportunity to test it on our expedition to Uganda.

The openROV is a low cost, open source platform that creates some pretty great opportunities for underwater exploration. Since both the hardware and software are open source it allows all the members of the openROV community to get involved in improving the design. The extra long cable allows for exploring areas deeper than one can scuba dive while the on-board camera provides a first person perspective while operating the openROV. Read more about it at www.openROV.com.

The standard configuration uses an Ethernet and USB cable to connect to a communications module which connects to the openROV via a 100m long pair of wires. The BRCK provides both those connections so that got us wondering if we could WiFi bridge to a BRCK connected to the communications module.

The openROV unit only arrived in Nairobi 48 hours before we left for Uganda so we had to wait until we got to Uganda to start playing around. Unfortunately we did not have any software developers on this expedition. What we did have was Johnny Long, a professional hacker with 15 years of experience and many, many connections to other hackers (in this case Rob Fuller, aka Mubix).  Within an hour of explaining the idea to they had the BRCK reconfigured to be a WiFi bridge to the openROV. We were all smiling like it was Christmas morning as we loaded the openROV Cockpit and saw the first video from the robot’s camera, made the motors spin, lights turn on and flashed the lasers – yes, the openROV comes with lasers!

The idea was that the BRCK and the openROV communications module could float in a Pelican box at the surface of the water with the control cable going down to the openROV. With that configuration the laptop simply needed to be anywhere in WiFi range of the BRCK and we would be good to go.

Testing it out on the water was not without its issues. With the late arrival of the unit we did not have enough time to properly ballast our unit ahead of time. The weights we had with us (carabineers and Land Rover lugnuts) were either too light or too heavy but eventually we got it approximately weighted.  And, while the 100m wire potentially allows for some great exploration, it also means that some wire management is required. We spent about 45 minutes bobbing up and down on Lake Victoria dealing with wire and getting it wrapped properly around a piece of cardboard so we could do some testing. However, in the end we did get it sorted out and running in the water.

We also were able to test it a bit on some still sections of the Nile; almost certainly the first for an openROV unit!  Here are a few screenshots from the cockpit.

We recorded our whole trip with OpenExplorer, an awesome platform for tracking and publishing self-made adventures of any sort.  You can see the whole timeline at https://openexplorer.com/expedition/brckexpedition2014.  OpenExplorer provides a very intuitive interface to publish updates and media generated during trips such as these. So whether you are hiking the West Coast Trail, exploring shipwrecks on the Amazon or rafting the Nile I would highly recommend having a look at OpenExplorer to let others know what you are up to.

Over the past three months we have received a huge amount of interest from educators about the BRCK. This has been a real eye opener for us. Because of this we planned an expedition to visit Johnny Long, a long time member of the BRCK community, who runs Hackers For Charity in Jinja, Uganda. He supports local charities and schools with technical support, tools, and trainings. About a year ago he hacked together a bunch of connectivity equipment in a pelican case to get a few schools he works with online. After significant effort he came across BRCK and had a eureka moment. He reached out and has been a huge inspiration to us, and an incredibly helpful community member.

The real take away from our time with Johnny is that there is a massive need to get information, that educational content, into the hands of teachers and students at the edge of the network. Most of these places have a signal for an hour a day or so, at best. So the key is to deliver content locally offline, and then have it update and sync to the greater web during those moments of connectivity. The BRCK can improve that quality of connectivity and increase the amount of time they are online, but with content directly on the BRCK, it can even deliver offline educational content such as school books, Wikipedia, and Khan Academy videos even when there is no connection.

Johnny took us out to a school he works with on Lingira island, which is about 1.5 hour boat ride into Lake Victoria. Some of the teachers at the school had reception on their phones, but the school itself had no connectivity. We spent the day working on getting the school set up. We tested out antennae and different mobile carriers. The latest version of BRCK software worked like a champ.

The most important part was the time we spent with the teachers. This direct user research was invaluable. The teachers have to spend huge amounts of money on textbooks and transporting them to the school. They are out of date and when new ones come out, they can’t procure or afford them. They know how that an internet connection gives affordable access to the entirety of the modern world, a virtual Library of Alexandria.

Access to information is an equalizer. Access to information in its purist form is fuel for education. It shortens the gap between the haves and the have nots, and gives people real opportunity.

(Posted from the banks of the Nile, via a BRCK.)

The BRCK is now an independent commercial entity and we’ve started to raise our seed round of investment. This means we’re ramping up and are looking to hire for some specific positions. If you’re hungry to join a team that uses technology to solve real-world problems, and has a fun time while doing so, Tell us why you’d like to join and upload your resume/CV here.

If you join the BRCK team as an engineer, that guy below will be your boss.

Electrical Engineer (apply here)

Product Development Engineer (Electrical)
BRCK is a rugged wireless router, an internet connectivity device designed in emerging markets for the changing way we access the internet globally. Its job is to extend the edges of the network, and to connect people and sensors where solid infrastructure isn’t found. We think of it as the easiest and most reliable way to get connect, anywhere you are in the world.

Everyone at BRCK comes to work here because we’re building the tools that every day people around the world will use to improve the lives of millions. In other words, in the fight for a better world, we aren’t 007, we’re Q.

BRCK is looking for an electrical designer to join our team in Nairobi, Kenya. The ideal candidate will be a self-starter, with a passion for enabling communication globally. We have very ambitious plans and we are looking for someone that can share our vision, and take the BRCK product to the next level.

The BRCK team, made of world-class mechanical, electrical and software engineers is based in Nairobi, Kenya, fostering a new age of hardware development on the continent. While we would prefer local applicants, international applicants willing to make a transition to Kenya are invited to apply as well.

Skills and Requirements

• BE, BSc or equivalent degree as a minimum requirement, with a masters or higher degree preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years designing commercial electronic products
• Minimum of 2 years’ experience using industry standard ECAD tools (Schematic capture, Simulation and Layout tools)
• Proven understanding of both analog and digital design requirements and concerns.

Optional Skills and Experience

• Prototype testing and tuning.
• Some high speed digital design experience
• Familiarity with automated test and measurement
• Understanding of concerns in high volume manufacturing.

Priority will be given to individuals with a proven track record of pushing the envelope, thinking creatively and a passion for global communication.

Travel
Up to 20% international travel will be required.

Location
This role will be based in the BRCK Design office in Nairobi, Kenya.

Remuneration
Remuneration will be dependent on skills and experience, and we expect to be able to deliver a competitive package.

Background
Ushahidi, BRCK’s parent company, is a non-profit technology company that builds open source software. The word “Ushahidi” means “testimony” in Swahili, and came out of the crowdsourced mapping platform we built during the Kenyan post-election violence in 2008. Our goal is to improve the way information flows in the world, and the BRCK is a natural extension of this. BRCK is a taking the Ushahidi core ethos, and using that to develop best in class communication tool with your help.

Our team tends to think big and rewards creativity and an entrepreneurial attitude. Over the past six years, we have also built the iHub – the tech community hub in Nairobi, the BRCK – a redesign of connectivity for the developing world, and other projects like Savannah Fund, and AfriLabs. Our ethos – we don’t just build products, we solve problems.

BRCK’s been lucky enough to get some exciting press attention in the last month, here are the highlights.

Der Spiegel has a great article about mobile changing Africa and gives a great context for BRCK.

The Conversation featured BRCK as well

OH, we also made it into Wired UK back in November!!!!

Nothing is certain. You’ve thought through all the variables, your made your plan, you’ve prepped, but nothing is certain. The next best thing you get after certainty is reliability. BRCK stood up to the rigors of one of Africa’s most challenging environments even as the total eclipse was hidden behind a passing storm. We’re proud of how BRCK held up in our field trial and we’re looking forward to showing you how some of that worked in the coming weeks.

We did get a brief view of the eclipse through the clouds late in the event. Here’s a photo. Well have lots more to share soon.