Masego and Matlhogonolo Mphahlele pose for a portrait during Red Bull Basement in Johannesburg. Picture: Mpumelelo Macu/Red Bull Content Pool
Johannesburg - Twin sisters Matlhogonolo and Masego Mphahlele have commemorated major life events together, but this week they have jetted off on one of their biggest adventures yet.
The Hammanskraal siblings landed in Istanbul, Turkey, to showcase their Digital X-ray Glasses at the Red Bull Basement Global Final, which started on Thursday and will end on Sunday.
“We are so excited and very blessed,” the 22-year-olds told the Saturday Star.
Red Bull Basement is a global initiative which seeks to discover new innovations by university students and showcase them to a global audience. The aim of the competition is to inspire innovative technology ideas that can drive positive change in their local communities.
The Mphahleles are thrilled to have beaten 125 other participants in the local phase of the competition in order to make it to the final and have a chance to receive a custom package of resources to realise their invention.
They believe that this accolade will make South Africans proud as they hope to inspire the new generation of girls in science and technology.
“Reaching the global final means we can be taken seriously, and it shows other kids from townships that no matter how weird your innovation is, if you believe in it you should push to make it happen,” they said.
“The Global Final will hopefully create more opportunities for us and young inventors around the world.”
The creation of their Digital X-ray Glasses came about in 2019 when one of their football teammates was injured during a match and they spent hours waiting for an X-ray at the local hospital.
This prompted the Mphahleles to find a quicker solution and so their Digital X-ray Glasses were created to help with the backlog in the South African health-care system.
“Just think, after a tough tackle in a rugby match, the medic could take a digital X-ray there and then and secure the player’s safety. This idea could not only help the medical profession but also save lives.”
While the Mphahleles were not able to elaborate on further details of their invention, they explained that their glasses assist in taking an X-ray scan of a human and from there, they are able to make a prototype.
“We are taking our idea to Turkey and if we win, there’s a team that will help us develop the idea further.”
At the global final, the sisters will collaborate and pitch their technology idea to a panel of judges.
“We can’t wait to pitch our project to the judges and if we are successful, hopefully we can take X-ray technology to a new level, giving hospitals access to this innovative technology whilst reducing the amount of time patients have to wait to have a scan.”
When they first heard about the competition, the twins attended the Red Bull Basement workshop at the University of Johannesburg.
“We want to take this project further and are hoping to get funding so we can develop the product.”
The South African sisters and 43 other teams from around the world will participate in the three-day event, with workshops and mentorship sessions available as well as access to some of the world’s most visionary thought leaders.
The technology solutions envisioned by the Red Bull Basement finalists centre on eight sustainability categories inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Body & Mind, Career, Clean Water, Climate Action, Education, Empowerment, Energy and Smart Cities.
Their ideas are set to be pitched to global visionaries including Kudzi Chikumbu, a leader in community and creator at one of the world’s biggest entertainment short-form video platforms.
He will be joined by Gener8 founder and CEO Sam Jones, Worldwide Generation Founder and CEO Manjula Lee, Intel’s gaming and e-sports general manager Marcus Kennedy, and senior vice-president: marketing operations at NTT Ltd Ceri McCall.
The team honoured as Global Winner 2021 will then receive a custom package of resources to realise their idea.
Students from past editions of Red Bull Basement have gone on to create a global impact, as was the case in 2020 when Brunel University's Joanna Power and Paramveer Bhachu designed and built an innovative water-saving device, the Lava Aqua X portable electric washing machine.
The Mphahleles were just 19 years old when they came up with their Digital X-ray Glasses and since then they have continued to cultivate their interest in science and technology.
“We then started entering innovation competitions like the Eskom Expo where we learnt a lot and it was clear that there’s something in our idea, we might just be able to fully develop X-ray glasses which will help rural communities across South Africa where a hospital is not close by.”
The girls back themselves to win the grand final in Turkey. Such a prize will not only be their own achievements, but also all those young South African girls who dream of a career in technology and science.
“In the technology field, girls should be taken seriously, and by winning this it’s a huge feat because it shows the world that girls can easily occupy this space.”
The Mphahleles believe technology to be a critical field which is constantly improving.
“It’s the present and the future and girls should be part of this and not stand on the sidelines.”
The twin sisters’ advice to aspiring girls who are interested in science and technology is simple: “Be good at science and maths at school and grab each opportunity that comes your way because determination is key.”