Every Wits University alumnus has the infamous edge, but this particular Computer Science professor has chosen to use his edge to give back to his blue and gold community.
Benjamin Rosman is the face of Wits University’s School of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, mainly because he built it from the ground up. He always wanted to create a space at Wits that “opened doors for other people to do cool things” — and people have indeed done cool things under his guidance.
It all started with the establishment of the Robotics, Autonomous Intelligence and Learning (RAIL) Lab in 2014, which was Rosman’s first passion project at Wits. A visiting lecturer at the time, Rosman already wanted to give back to the institution that drove him into the world of academia.
The RAIL Lab was the first of its kind on the continent and enabled computer scientists to transcend the “imposter syndrome” of being researchers in Africa, where robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning fields seemed wholly inaccessible.
MSc and PhD candidates are working on projects such as “Husky”, a four-legged rover that is being programmed to do palaeontology work at the Sterkfontein Caves in areas where it is too dangerous for humans to venture.
Another is “Yumi”, a two-armed robot with fine motor skills that a human can operate to perform tasks. “Spot” is the Lab’s robotic dog that can walk and balance independently.
Now with over 40 students and 12 research supervisors, the RAIL Lab is home to projects of advancing AI functionality and nuancing a robot on to solve its own problems.
This was the case just a decade or so earlier when Rosman had to abandon the Wits ship and set sail to Edinburgh University, as there was a scarcity of resources for him to obtain his Master’s Degree and Doctorate in Philosophy. However, the tables have turned as students from international countries are applying to do their postgraduate degrees at Wits.
In 2019, Rosman co-pioneered his second passion project, the Deep Learning Indaba, which started as a self-funded technical workshop hosted at Wits University for computer scientists all over Africa. The idea was to get Africa on the world’s radar where computer science research was concerned, and spoiler alert, it worked.
Having over 900 attendees last year, the Indaba has been dubbed one of “the biggest summer learning school worldwide”. “[The] global community says they solve African problems for us, but we are now on your level and not just consumers of already built things,” said Rosman.
Despite a rough start to life after experiencing a pre-birth stroke, Rosman always dreamt of creating the robotics of the future, no matter the challenges in his path. Having lost all fine motor functions in the right side of his body, Rosman had to become a pro at typing fast with just one hand
He went on to win many awards, pioneered start-ups, directed many boards, and published articles, but Rosman has only ever wanted to “tangibly touch people’s lives” and make other people see what he always did — that Wits University is “the place to be”.
He says he has “a job at the best university on the continent with the best students on the continent”.
FEATURED IMAGE: Benjamin Rosman demonstrating how Yumi, a robotic arms project part of the RAIL Lab, is operated. Photo: Victoria Hill
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