Building world-class technology from Nigeria
Osmium Robotics and Renewable Energies Ltd (ORREL) is a Nigerian deep-technology company founded in 2022. We operate at the intersection of artificial intelligence, robotics, renewable energy, computational modelling, simulation, and advanced materials science — with a research identity that runs through everything we build.
Jimmy Lolu Olajide
Jimmy Lolu Olajide is a computational materials scientist, postgraduate researcher at the University of South Africa (UNISA), and the founder and director of ORREL. With over 50 peer-reviewed publications, 500+ citations, and peer reviewer credentials at Elsevier, Wiley, Sage, and Springer, he occupies a rare position as both a rigorous academic and a hands-on engineering entrepreneur.
His research spans computational materials science, acoustic engineering, finite element analysis, molecular dynamics, density functional theory, machine learning, and biomedical engineering. He founded ORREL to close the distance between laboratory-grade science and real-world engineering impact in Africa.
He is also the author of a textbook currently in development — From Electrons to Ecosystems: Computational Materials Science Across Scales, With Integrated Software Labs
Project Felicia
Project Felicia is ORREL's long-horizon research programme with a singular mission: to build the world's first embodied AI system for integrated computational materials discovery.
This is not a simulation tool, a database, or an informatics platform. It is an intelligent research partner — a physically embodied, self-learning system that can recognise materials in the real world, analyse their microstructure, orchestrate the full multiscale simulation chain, close the loop between processing decisions and field performance, and continuously improve its own predictive accuracy from accumulated knowledge.
Phase I — currently underway — is laying the scientific foundation through a structured programme of computational and experimental research in polymer matrix composites, acoustic engineering, molecular dynamics, DFT, FEA, LCA, and machine learning.
Learn more about Project Felicia →Domain-specific methodological rigour
ORREL applies evidence-based, validated engineering methodology across every domain. Rather than a single framework, each service area is governed by the appropriate rigour for its specific scientific and engineering context.
Processing–Structure–Pilot Performance–Field-Proven Performance. Every material system is validated at each stage before real-world deployment — from synthesis through microstructural characterisation to field performance.
Finite Element Analysis, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Density functional theory, Molecular Dynamics Simulation, Monte Carlo Simulation, Peridynamics, Phase Field Modelling, Multibody Dynamics, and Lifecycle Assessment Modelling — applied as an integrated chain from atomic scale to macroscale performance.
Chemical process modelling, systems dynamics, discrete event simulation, and agent-based modelling for complex industrial, supply chain, and sociotechnical systems.
Design of experiments (DOE), response surface methodology, Pareto optimisation, Bayesian inference, and metaheuristic algorithms for rigorous, evidence-based engineering decision-making under uncertainty.
Machine learning, deep learning, NLP, computer vision, reinforcement learning, MLOps, and ROS-based robotic platforms — built for production deployment, not just proof of concept.
Solar system design, irradiance modelling, energy audit and optimisation, IoT-based monitoring, and intelligent grid integration for residential, commercial, and industrial applications.
Real-time data synchronisation between physical assets and virtual models, physics-based simulation, predictive maintenance, and continuous model validation against operational performance data.
Spatial computing, real-time rendering, pedagogical gamification frameworks, and immersive environment design for industrial training, engineering simulation, and STEM education.
Agile development methodology, user-centred design, iterative prototyping, comprehensive QA and testing pipelines, and cross-platform deployment for web, mobile, and scientific computing applications.
Smart contract design and auditing, decentralised application architecture, consensus mechanism selection, and security-first infrastructure design for trustless digital systems.
Why ORREL exists
Africa produces some of the world's sharpest engineers and scientists. What it has historically lacked is infrastructure — the institutions, the capital, and the platforms that convert talent into impact. ORREL exists to be part of that infrastructure.
We build technology solutions that are technically rigorous, commercially viable, and genuinely useful to African communities — through a model that is deliberately translational: research that leads to products, products that generate data, data that feeds better research.
Our ultimate vision is a world where computational materials intelligence is accessible, open, and embodied — and where that intelligence is built in Africa.
ORREL timeline
ORREL founded in Nigeria by Jimmy Lolu Olajide — combining a deep-tech research identity with a commercial engineering mandate.
GSASConnect and GradBridge established as ORREL's edutech platforms — connecting postgraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds with supervisors, funding, and academic support globally.
SolarCheckNG launched as Nigeria's first AI-powered solar advisory and installer matching platform. Project Felicia — ORREL's long-horizon programme to build the world's first embodied AI system for integrated computational materials discovery.
OrrelFX launches as ORREL's fintech arm — peer-to-peer diaspora currency exchange for Africans abroad. Active patent filings ongoing across multiple engineering domains.
Platforms & programmes built by ORREL
Beyond consulting and research, ORREL builds and operates technology platforms that address specific market gaps across Nigeria and Africa.
Project Felicia
ORREL's long-horizon research programme to build the world's first embodied AI system for integrated computational materials discovery — an intelligent research partner that recognises materials, orchestrates multiscale simulation, and continuously improves its own predictive accuracy.
SolarCheckNG
AI-powered solar system recommender and installer matching platform for Nigerian homes and businesses. Free to use. ORREL handles installation and maintenance nationwide.
GSASConnect
AI-driven platform connecting postgraduate students from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds globally with supervisors, research groups, and funding opportunities.
GradBridge
Student support platform providing resources, mentorship pathways, and community infrastructure for postgraduate students navigating academic and professional transitions.
OrrelFX
Peer-to-peer diaspora currency exchange enabling faster, fairer, and more transparent cross-border money transfers for Africans living and working abroad.
Our values
The principles that shape how we work, what we build, and who we build it for.
Research-driven
Every solution we build is grounded in peer-reviewed science. Our 50+ publications and 500+ citations reflect a commitment to rigour that runs through everything we do.
Africa-first
We build for African realities — the infrastructure gaps, the resource constraints, the enormous untapped potential. Our work is rooted in Nigeria and designed for global relevance.
End-to-end delivery
From atomic-scale simulation to deployed software and installed hardware — ORREL does not stop at the concept. We build, test, deploy, and maintain.
Open knowledge
We publish, we mentor, we share. The advancement of African science depends on knowledge flowing freely between institutions, industries, and individuals.
Sustainability
Renewable energy, lifecycle assessment, and responsible materials development are not peripheral concerns — they are central to every project we take on.
Translational impact
We are translational scientists and engineers. The distance between a published result and a working product should be as short as possible.
Work with ORREL
Whether you need engineering expertise, research collaboration, solar installation, or technology consulting — we are ready.