( CNN ) Building and programing a robot from scratch may sound like an impossible task to most primary school students , but one man is changing that mind-set for a generation of Ugandans . By showing students as young as six how robots can solve real-world problems , Fundi Bots founder Solomon King Benge wants young people to develop a creative skill set they can apply to solve issues specific to their lives . `` We have a team in northern Uganda building an automated farming program , '' explains 32 year-old King Benge . `` The project includes an irrigation system for crops and also a temperature monitoring solution to make sure ... cow feed does n't overheat and go bad . The students are also working on an automatic seed dispenser to feed pigs . '' Ugandan learning . In a country where over 90 % of primary school-aged children are enrolled in classes , according to World Bank data , Fundi Bots first focuses on extracurricular time slots in schools . As well as presentations and video-based learning , Fundi Bots also offers hands-on robotics training and helps keen students form weekly Robotics Clubs . The initiative has taken off in 15 schools spread across the capital , Kampala , and Gulu in the north where experienced mentors visit once or twice a month to offer ideas and encouragement . But tinkering with robotic parts and coming up with new ideas carries on after school too . During holiday camps ( which can last two weeks ) students are taught robotic concepts and then given time to implement that learning by building a robot by the end of the camp . Central to the Fundi Bots philosophy is that building robots does not require a fortune . Students are encouraged to use recycled materials or components like laser pointers and microphones that were never originally designed to be a robotic building-block . `` One group of 13 and 14-year-olds is creating a small remote controlled vehicle with a temperature reader on the front that could be used in fire-risk areas , '' King Benge explains . `` Their idea uses a wireless transmitter which sends data back in real-time , but they managed to keep costs quite low at around $ 130 , by using locally sourced materials like wheels from toy cars . '' While the physical components may not command high prices , the skills students gain in the process could prove lucrative . According to euRobotics AISBL , the global market for robotics amounted to $ 25.8 billion in June 2014 and is expected to grow to more than $ 70 billion by 2020 . Pan-African Robots . While the Fundi Bots ' program is showing initial signs of having an impact in Uganda , King Benge says that 's just the start . `` Fundi Bots is based in Uganda , but our five year mandate is to build a presence in five African countries by the end of 2020 , '' explains King Benge . `` The most promising country at the moment is Rwanda because the government is very forward thinking and very keen to develop as the ICT powerhouse in the region . '' Fundi Bots , which held a workshop in Rwanda last October , might be the first robotics teaching program in Uganda , but it is not the only one of its kind in Africa . The African Robotics Network ( AFRON ) was established in Ghana in April 2012 to improve education around robotics . One way the group has worked on this goal is by organizing the week-long Ashesi Robotics Experience . It was during this set of workshops that a participant developed the Lollybot - a basic `` mini-explorer '' robot which can navigate obstacles and learn about its surroundings . The robot , which uses Chupa Chups lollipops in the design , can be built from scratch for a total cost of just $ 8.96 . `` The enthusiasm of the kids is incredible , '' says Ayorkor Korsah , Assistant Computer Science Professor at Ashesi University College and co-founder of the African Robotics Network . `` Recognizing that a robot can be made from familiar items like a computer mouse , or game controller really demystifies robotics and electronics for them . '' Robots are also playing a more prominent role in Kinshasa , the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo . Eight feet tall robotic traffic wardens designed and built by a team of local engineers , have been recording and controlling traffic 24 hours a day for just less than a year . As the Ugandan students learn new ways to build robots , King Benge says there 's no limit to what could emerge from the workshops and retreats . `` When I see the students coming up with innovative ideas I really see minds are being changed . Students are being exposed to the creative process and I look forward to seeing them come up with bigger projects in five or 10 years time . `` More from Marketplace AfricaRead this : Turning Ghana 's farms into healthy businessesRead this : Africa 's 10 most prosperous countries .
Fundi Bots is teaching Ugandan school children to build robots . Founder King Benge founded Robot Bots in 2015 to help students develop creative problem - solving skills . Fundi Bots has a presence in 15 schools across Uganda and plans to expand to other African countries . North America companies spent over $ 335 million on robots in first quarter of 2017 .