Over the past few weeks, 16-year-old Esteban Quispe has been making the media rounds. Recently appearing in local newspapers and television programs, he is Bolivia’s latest technological discovery. In the unassuming town of Patacamaya, about 100 kilometres southeast of La Paz, Esteban has spent the last several years building robots, largely out of trash.
From his tinkerer’s workshop adjacent to his parent’s house, Esteban has dreamed up and constructed a family of robots, one with a shocking resemblance to Wall-E, the Pixar robot from the film of the same name. Taking inspiration from the needs around him, he hopes to pioneer artificial intelligence in the future, and to use robotics to help make the work of the farmers and laborers in his community much easier.
The Bolivian altiplano may at first seem an unlikely place for such a tinkerer. In a community whose economy is largely based on potato cultivation, how does one of its own, the child of a bricklayer and a homemaker, find the passion and the talent for robotics? Truth is, Bolivia today is a hotbed of technology. In recent years, the launch of the Tupac Katari satellite and the completion of the first phase of the Mi Teleférico project (with a second phase on the way) are just some of the more high-profile projects in Bolivia. The national government has even announced the creation of a Technological Citadel, a dream to sow the seeds of Bolivia’s very own Silicon Valley, a task for which the State will need to continue improving telecommunications and to move government processes and citizen engagement online.
As these and other initiatives continue to take hold, more and more stories like Esteban’s will certainly come to light. Both Bolivians and expats living in the country are realising what this place is capable of in terms of technological innovation, giving more and more people the drive to dream up the seemingly impossible and push forward to make their visions a reality.
Technology likes to cross borders, and this is very apparent in Bolivia. Much of the latest technological changes here have been brought from elsewhere. Facebook has come with a plan to provide free (if limited) internet access across the country. US engineers have implemented ways to use one of Bolivia’s most abundant natural resources, llama feces, to filter and clean water (no joke!). And German engineering has introduced new technologies to help mend heart defects among children across the country.
But much of the exciting advances in technology in Bolivia are the result of local inventiveness. There are countless people across the country who, like Esteban, have the drive, initiative and knowhow to offer some pretty impressive technologies. In fact, some homegrown efforts are looking to be exported to nearby countries: Bolivia’s RFID-based tagging and registration system for automobiles seems primed for implementation across the continent. And in certain parts of Bolivia, fine examples of traditional technologies, particularly around agriculture and food production, are being brought back into practice as time reveals their usefulness and effectiveness.
In this issue, BX looks at technology and how it is changing and shaping Bolivia. Whether coming from Bolivians like Esteban or from foreigners bringing ‘the next big idea’, Bolivia is entering an exciting new phase of technological development, and we wanted to capture a snapshot of that process.
With improved telecommunications, more advanced training opportunities and a growing interest in moving Bolivia’s tech sector to the global stage, we should expect to see more stories like Esteban’s in the future. The most important thing we can do is encourage the curiosity, foster the inventiveness and support the ingenuity that drives these efforts. Only then can Bolivia be brought closer to participating meaningfully in global technological transformation.
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CYCLING FOR ICE CREAM
People hop on a bike for many reasons, but very few do it to power their business. In Bolivia, small entrepreneurs are cycling away on stationary bikes to make soap, smoothies, coffee, even to charge a mobile phone. In Cochabamba, this technology—called “bicimaquinas”—is being used to make ice cream. While on a visit, I met Andrea Vidal, a young volunteer from California, who is trying turning a workout into fresh ice cream.
‘Bicimaquinas are seven times more efficient than using your arms,’ she explained. ‘They mean you don’t have to use expensive technologies like solar panels and gas for energy. It’s a way of developing rural communities because it’s something almost anyone can create. In this way, it builds the economy.’
A happy cyclist pedals away on a stationary bike, turning the gears and the blender. Seems simple, doesn’t it? However, it’s not as easy as it seems. As Andrea explains, ‘it’s mostly trial and error because it’s such a new concept in Bolivia. Only a few small organisations offer this technology.’
In Cochabamba, her main challenge is getting a hold of the right resources. “There isn’t a practice of bike recycling here,’ she says. ‘People would rather leave a bike rotting in the backyard, instead of donating it to an organisation that makes Bicimaquinas.’
It seems like in this case, the technology is simple, but the implementation is not.
Is the government’s hi-tech fuel-tracking system worth drivers’ privacy?
At a gas station in the working-class neighborhood of San Pedro in La Paz, Diego Castro fuels up his Ford Explorer. Simultaneously, his location, purchase volume and presence on camera are being uploaded to the National Hydrocarbon Agency (ANH) headquarters.
Facilitating this is Bolivian Auto Identification System (B-SISA). Launched by the ANH in 2013 to combat fuel smuggling, B-SISA is responsible for monitoring and controlling all fuel sales in the country. ‘In Bolivia, the gas is subsidised by the government, so naturally some people will see an opportunity to sell it [illegally] in other countries,’ explains Einard Joffre, director of information and communication technologies at the ANH, who is responsible for B-SISA’s implementation.
In order for B-SISA to function, registered vehicles are required to have a green adhesive label placed on the windscreen. Within this small, inconspicuous sticker lies a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag. When the vehicle pulls up to a gas station, the RFID antenna in the station emits a signal which brings the tag to life. The tag then identifies its vehicle to the system and the sale of fuel is authorised, while relevant data is recorded in a central database.
Unusual activity does not go unnoticed. ‘We recently identified nine different vehicles in Oruro purchasing nearly 20,000 litres in one month in different gas stations,’ Joffre says. Whether or not the purchases were legitimate is still under investigation.
One might wonder whether the Bs100 million cost of B-SISA is really justified. While recouping the costs of illegal trade of fuel alone could outweigh the program cost, Joffre explains that the system brings many other benefits to the state. ‘We work with many institutions,’ he says. ‘Because of the law it is our duty to share the information [from the system] with government ministries and the police.’
The Vehicular Theft Prevention Department (DIPROVE) is one such governmental agency that uses this information. In the simplest case, the agency is alerted if a car that has been flagged as stolen tries to purchase fuel at a gas station. Missing RFID tags or tags which do not match the exact model of the vehicle are also investigated.
It is not a bulletproof fix to car theft, as the artful criminal might avoid gas stations or completely dismantle the vehicle for parts. Nevertheless, it has the ability to significantly curtail what is realised to be the most common crime in Santa Cruz.
Another use of B-SISA is in the improvement of public bus services. In a joint effort with the the capital’s transit authority, RFID antennas are being deployed at bus terminals to track buses that have RFID tags affixed to them. With this new evaluation tool, passengers can expect more timely service. ‘This is not yet working,’ asserts Joffre, ‘but it will.’
Seeing its success in Bolivia, now other countries are interested in using the RFID tags to thwart illegal mining and logging. Peru, for instance, would track fuel sales in its Madre de Dios region in order to investigate fuel-intensive mining operations that pollute the fragile Amazonian ecosystem.
Back in San Pedro, though, Diego is not exactly sure what the point of the system is. ‘I guess the government is trying to control petrol consumption in order to prevent contraband,’ he says, ‘but I can’t tell you for certain.’
Diego believes that regulating the consumption of state-subsidised fuels is a fundamentally a good idea, but appears skeptical when asked about the government collecting drivers’ information. ‘I am sure the information could be useful,’ he says, ‘but for all I know it could be used for absolutely nothing.’
The ANH’s most expensive project is undoubtedly one Joffre feels immensely proud of. It has inspired other countries and gained global coverage. However, back home, it appears drivers have been kept in the dark. Perhaps, the ANH should be more vocal about the system if it wants drivers like Diego to share its enthusiasm.
‘I am sure the information could be useful, but for all I know it could be used for absolutely nothing.’
—Diego Castro
