Publication Date
11-1-2018
Abstract
Meet Darack Nanto
Darack Nanto is many things. He’s an inventor, a graduate student, a personal trainer, an Olympic hopeful and a leader. He’s determined to show those in his home country of Togo that he can succeed at both his academic and athletic aspirations. Darack is building a prototype of his invention, the Eco Smart Can, while balancing his time between graduate classes and training to become an Olympic athlete. His goal is to become the first person from Togo to compete in bobsled skeleton at the winter games in 2022.
What was it like adjusting to life in the United States as an international student?
I had never been to the U.S. I came in the spring semester 2013 and it was really cold. I brought my jacket from home and it was not made for winter. When I was at the airport I asked my friend to bring me a winter jacket because what I had cannot hold me. I was frozen.
The other thing was getting used to the accents, “y’all” especially, and people were having a hard time understanding me so I had to work on articulating my words. I tried my best to integrate and learn as much as I can about American culture.
Last year, you won a business pitch competition at ETSU (iBucs). What is your invention and what phase are you at now?One day I was walking to the CPA (Center for Physical Activity) and saw a maintenance guy emptying trash near Rogers-Stout Hall. The can was barely filled, but he emptied it and replaced the plastic bag and went to the next can. In my head, I thought, “Those cans have almost nothing inside. Why would you empty it?” As an engineer, in my head, I was thinking why. It seemed like a waste of time and resources. Is there a way that we could know the trash level before so we don’t have to collect the trash if it’s not needed?
I started researching and applying for funds for startup and to get the equipment to develop it. To track the level of trash, I am using IOT (Internet of Things) technology and I had to start learning about it. We learned main electronic components in the manufacturing engineering technology program, but this is different because you take normal hardware and try to make it talk to the internet. I had to really start researching online, troubleshooting, failing at it, and trying and trying again. I first had a basic version for my undergraduate honors thesis.
After winning the competition, other people on campus discovered my project and the College of Business and Technology took an interest in it, and I went to an entrepreneurship conference in Nashville and talked to other people with startups across Tennessee. I really got inspired. I invested in books and equipment. Right now I’m working on a prototype with a solar panel and a compactor inside, which will be fully automated. It can identify and compress the trash at certain levels. When the trash is at 50 percent filled, it can compact it to around 30 percent.
When you’re not working on the Eco Smart Can prototype in your lab in Wilson-Wallis Hall or studying, what other activities are you involved in?
Currently, I’m president of the Muslim Student Association and if I’m not in the lab, I try to work with the association, or because I am an athlete as well, I will be training. I’m hoping to represent my country Togo in the next Winter Olympics in the sport of bobsled skeleton. So if I’m not in class or in the lab learning, I’m in the CPA working out or in the Ballad Health Athletic Center (Mini Dome) training.
I’m also a personal trainer, so during the summer I work at the CPA to help people reach their fitness goals or who want to stay fit. I am also a Presidential Ambassador for the university.
Document Type
News Article
