“Humans Taking More from Planet Than Giving” A Computer Scientist Observes

By Mary Mwendwa

Dr. Timothy Barker is a renowned computer expert from the United Kingdom with an MSc Man-Computer Systems, a Ph.D. in Education, and BSc in Computer Science. Mary Mwendwa interviewed him about his journey in computing.

 Who is Dr. Timothy Barker?

 I have a Ph.D. in (of all things) “Education”. That is, I was awarded a Ph.D. by the University of Leeds in the UK for submitting a thesis titled “Collaborative Learning with Affective Artificial Study Companions in a Virtual Learning Environment”. I won’t break that down here but suffice it to say that my Ph.D. thesis (in addition to other more formal publications) can be found on the Internet off of my main website at www.doctimbarker.uk. 

I have, importantly, traveled quite a lot to numerous countries around the world mostly as a means of experiencing different cultures which always fascinated me though I also disseminated my research and/or worked in several capacities. I have been involved with voluntary organizations a lot. I never quite ‘fitted in’ to the formal world of work probably because my brain isn’t wired to understand the value of capitalism and especially products, money, and finances in general. I’ve been lucky in some respects though not so in others.

Tell us more about your solar computer project [as a computer scientist].

The Solar Computer project is actually a technical solution to a social problem. I think I have documented some of the social issues it is trying to address: (energy) poverty, autonomy, and connectedness. So, here I will focus on more of the technical detail.

There have been lots of incarnations of the Solar Computer actually. This approach to research and design is known as prototyping. There’s nothing so mystical about the approach; the name describes it quite succinctly. It is a useful development methodology when one does not really entirely know the problem space to be solved? That is, we often have quite a rough idea of how we may approach the development of a solution then gradually we redefine the approach as we build then test the various prototypes.

What about the preliminary version?

This current prototype revolves around a Raspberry Pi Zero single-board computer. It is very popular among hobbyists as it is inexpensive and relatively small. Of course, in addition to the central computer a number of attached peripherals, associated wiring, and circuits help to provide power (solar and USB), run the 5-inch touchscreen display, and allow attachment of further peripherals such as a keyboard, mouse, etc. 

Finally, there is a LiPo battery in the current prototype to obviously store the solar power then subsequently power all components. Externally there is a 3d printed case consisting of several layers all joined together with four screws in each corner.

 It is quite a solid unit though there are plans, as ever, to improve this prototype. Notably, it would be useful to 3d print a flexible outer shell to help protect the main device. This should now be possible as the 3d printer was upgraded.

 Additionally, the switch needs to be moved and the indicator lights possibly need to be moved so that the whole unit will fit into a compact yet very rugged outer case for transportation and storage. There are a few additional components that have not been mentioned yet the above captures the gist of the project.

As to use case scenarios the original dream was to have these kinds of devices used by school children in a classroom (tied into a wireless network for example) then taken home at night for the purposes of homework. Of course, this was intended to be the case for ‘developing communities’ in-keeping with DIYNGO’s mission statement. And so, a variety of experiments have taken place to date to attempt to test this dream. The central computer (that a teacher may use) would be more powerful so it is the intention to test a Raspberry Pi 4 for this purpose.

Other use case scenarios are emerging yet these form more of a spin-off from DIYNGO’s main aims. These include the guidance of robots to help detect Explosive Remnants of War, etc.

All in all, it has been an interesting project but it’s not over just yet. There is the work to do on a further prototype, as mentioned above, then it needs to be tested in a valid environment as soon as possible. This will entail attempting to ship a unit to rural Kenya to see if it survives what can at times be quite a harsh environment. 

Beyond that, it is our intention that these Solar Computers should be manufactured locally. Hence a central aim and constraint of all research and development are that all efforts should be replicable overseas with the minimum of available infrastructure, equipment, and effort! Time will tell if our dreams can become reality.

 Tell us more about your interest in renewable energy solutions.

I have always thought (throughout my adult life that is) that our species, humans, are taking more from this planet than we are giving. That’s quite a simplistic statement but that is purposeful. I always ‘felt’ something was wrong about the way we approached life on this planet. For example, I never possessed a car. I did have a small motorbike in my early teen years but only for a short period. I do feel we don’t always see the wood for the trees. 

We tend to get so bogged down in the everyday conformity that we cannot easily realize the damage we may be doing to this planet. It is difficult, I appreciate that, to do something slightly ‘different’. The status quo is set up to positively discourage any deviance from the norm. 

However, I do believe, with what has been noted by certain luminaries as a “passion”, that we need to change our behaviors for the sake of the future inhabitants of this planet. For me, then, the primary behavior change is to stop relying upon fossil fuels (though, of course, this is not the only behavior change necessary due to the complexity of life itself). So, I believe by utilizing renewable energy we stand a better chance of creating some kind of better future for our children and their children etc.

About your research projects on renewable solutions, what has made you proud?

I believe it is not the technology – such as the solar computer – that has made me proud of our achievements to date. DIYNGO was formed to “champion” these ideas and not to create ‘products’ to be ‘consumed’ in the typical capitalist fashion. So, instead, what makes me really proud is that, despite the various and at times quite huge odds, we have pretty much stuck together as an entity.

 We have faced issues of having no funding, armed conflict, floods, droughts, and huge distances between us yet we persevered. That idea I had to found DIYNGO in the most inhospitable of circumstances actually resonated with people. That to me is something to be proud of: seeds being planted and then nurtured by people far nobler than myself.

About DIYNGO, what prompted you to think of the idea?

I think Do it Yourself Non- government Organization (DIYNGO) was always going to happen in some form or other. Quite that this happened as it did I suppose took me by surprise too. I was very lucky. I was lucky to get to the point in life where this seemed inevitable. 

I was additionally lucky to have encountered the people and organizations that I came to value though I am uncertain I appreciated that at the time? Of course, the United Nations need to be mentioned. If it wasn’t for being made a “Champion” for the now-defunct Global Alliance for ICTs and Development then DIYNGO almost certainly wouldn’t have happened. 

Again I was lucky to be in New York City at the time and to meet the people responsible for UN-GAID never mind to again be recognized for my “passion”. I can’t really place when the idea truly took hold. I had been experimenting with ICTs and renewable energy. The latter was fairly new to me at the time although my experience of ICTs is as old as the hills! I grabbed a chance to travel to Africa – Kenya to be precise – when a colleague was traveling there. 

Again, I was lucky to meet the ‘right’ people. I saw, in the local Kenyan people, my own passions reflected back to me. However, I also recognized that these local Kenyans had effectively been overlooked: as the rest of the world had hurtled along numerous developmental pathways they were becoming ostracised. So, that was a matter of (social) justice for me. 

I don’t like injustices (with a similar passion). So I formed DIYNGO to address these issues. Luckily for me, the idea met with some positive and encouraging feedback. It has been a struggle, don’t get me wrong, yet – since we’re attempting to bring about some major changes – it was never going to be easy. Though, if I’d quite anticipated the barriers to the progress of the organization we were to face, I’m not sure I would have started it in the first place looking back. This is the advantage of passion I suppose plus a little naivety’

As a researcher on renewable solutions, what does the future look like especially in developing nations like Kenya, what gaps exist and how can they be addressed?

I don’t like to try to forecast what the future will be like. We never really know. People kind of pretend they know but, really, I think that is a work of fiction and not Science. Science for me is built upon facts. It’s a slow and painful process to ‘do’ Science. We move the boundaries of knowledge actually at a snail’s pace. That’s the nature of the beast I’m afraid. I do have hopes and, again, I could try to identify gaps.

 However, I resigned from the helm of DIYNGO so that I was not in control of ‘others’ futures. I believe in the ownership of these ideas in the hands where they truly belong. That’s not mine, it’s not yours or some ‘higher authority’ for me. For me, these ideas belong to future generations. We need to keep them alive; both the ideas and the future generations themselves through our joint endeavors.