Kuwala
Progress and current technology
Kuwala is the portable solar-powered station. Oasis is the platform running on it for chat, search, reading and translation, with multiple PDF libraries in Oasis Knowledge.
The concept is agreed and Oasis is tested and working on Kuwala hardware in our lab. The next components are due before we bring everything together in the box.
01 / The roadmap
Two tracks are moving forward together, each at its own pace. We’re preparing the first complete Kuwala station while building Oasis Library, an online hub for preparing knowledge packs and learning materials for local use.
Updated
Track 01 / The station
Bring the working software, shared solar power and local Wi-Fi together in one portable box.
Now: Preparing the buildComplete
A portable station that brings local knowledge, shared solar power and Wi-Fi together.
Complete
Chat, search, reading and translation are working on Kuwala hardware. Lab tests have checked Oasis with real questions and documents.
Current stage · Preparing the build
New components are due next. We’ll fit the computers, battery containers, charge controller and router into the box.
Next
Check solar charging, power use, running time and Wi-Fi reach, with the complete station working as one system.
Ahead
Agree a host and try everyday tasks together. Review language and accessibility, practise updating the libraries, then improve the station with the people using it.
Track 02 / The online library
Build a central collection of knowledge packs and lessons that each station can choose for its community.
Now: Curator tools and content preparationComplete
The online hub brings PDF packs and course selections into one workspace, with separate preparation and review for each.
Current stage · Working curator preview
Source search, PDF-pack drafts and saving a first Khan Academy lesson selection are working. Alongside the curator tools, we’re preparing a wider range of learning materials.
Next
Prepare themed PDF and lesson packs, then check sources, permissions and suitability with teachers and local teams before approving a selection for a station.
Ahead
Bring the tested download and update foundations into the curator workflow. Check interrupted transfers and keep the working local library until its replacement is ready.
Ahead
Choose reviewed content online, download it to Kuwala, then check local reading, search and lessons through Oasis.
Curator tools are in private preview. Pack publication and station downloads are still in development. More about Oasis Library →
We’ll keep improving answers and translations as both tracks develop. Local trials will help shape the station and the knowledge it carries. See the next checks →
02 / Progress and evidence
Oasis is working on Kuwala hardware with real documents. Our checks show what’s useful already and where the next improvements will make a difference.
Oasis Knowledge now has 176 published PDFs across seven libraries, checked on . Visitors can browse, search, ask questions and open the originals, with subjects ranging from school learning and general knowledge to farming, water, shelter and repair. Explore the subjects in the collection →
A sustained 56-request test on 13 October completed without a stream failure or restart. Browsing and source PDFs stayed available throughout. More recent checks are examining the meaning of explanations, their conditions and how well each source supports them.
As of , the complete station and local Wi-Fi entrance still need assembly, setup and testing. A 20 October lab check also fell back to keyword search when meaning-based search could not be reached. That search path needs a fresh check before we describe it as dependable.
On 13 October, 56 requests completed over 21 minutes 45 seconds: 49 returned local answers and seven clearly marked partial answers. The mean response time was 62.87 seconds and the median was 61.48 seconds, both including queue waiting. Visitors could see or cancel a queued question.
The answer review found missing qualifications about forage seeds, a misread energy source and study advice linked to an unsupported passage. These cases guide our next checks; service stability does not establish answer accuracy.
Oasis has four local AI roles: Ministral for answers, Nomic for meaning-based search, NLLB for translation and Qwen3 for follow-up suggestions. Keyword search remains available when meaning-based search cannot be reached. After an answer, Oasis can offer three suggested questions to help you explore further. Choose one or ask your own.
Suggestions appear while you read and are labelled Trial AI suggestions · English. We’re checking that they fit the conversation and the library, including whether they carry forward a mistake from an earlier answer.
These 9 October checks used the then-current 85-PDF collection. A useful answer and an incomplete explanation both show the value of keeping the original pages close by.
“The battery monitor continuously measures the current flow in and out of the battery.”
Oasis explained how current measurements are added up over time, but blurred the difference between calculating charge and detecting a full battery. The linked manual lets us catch that distinction.
Read the battery-monitor explanation →Victron Energy · Publisher’s product and manual page
“Circumference = π × diameter”
Oasis correctly gave C = π × D and explained that diameter is twice the radius. For a pipe 10 cm across, that gives a circumference of about 31.4 cm, backed by the cited worked example.
Read the cited worked example →Chad Flinn and Mark Overgaard · BCcampus · CC BY 4.0, except where noted
We record useful and incomplete answers together. These examples are individual checks, not an accuracy rate: 9 October results · earlier notes.
03 / The Oasis platform
Ask Oasis in your own words. It finds relevant passages and explains them, with links back to the original pages. Keep the conversation going with a follow-up, or translate an answer to read it in another language.
If you’re wondering, Oasis stands for Off-grid Autonomous Solar Intelligence System. The name just worked well.
Choose a library and ask. Oasis can suggest follow-up questions, or you can take the conversation your own way.
Oasis finds relevant passages in the PDFs. You can browse and read the documents yourself, too.
Open the original pages, check the context and decide how the guidance applies.
Private lab preview
Open the Oasis web app and connect to Kuwala in our lab. When the station is online, browse Oasis Knowledge, ask a question and open the documents behind an answer.
The web app and books you’ve saved on your device stay available when the station is off. Chat, search, translation and new downloads need a connection to the station.
The remote lab preview needs approved email access and an internet connection. To request access, email [email protected]. Local Wi-Fi access is planned for the completed station and still needs setup and testing.
Get Oasis for Android for the lab preview on your phone. The download also needs approved access.
04 / Language and access
A guide in English can become part of a conversation in Chichewa. Oasis can translate a completed English answer or readable English text on a PDF page, with the original close by for comparison.
Eight languages are offered: Chichewa / Nyanja, French, Swahili and Zulu, plus Tumbuka, Bemba, Portuguese and Shona as labelled trials awaiting speaker review. All use machine translation.
Language support can grow with the community. We download the translation model during setup for offline use; all eight languages use the installed model. We can prepare and check further languages it supports with a local host.
The translation model runs locally on Kuwala and does not need an online AI service. Today’s remote lab preview still needs internet access; the station’s local Wi-Fi entrance is being prepared.
The English answer, source links and PDF stay available, including the original diagrams and layout.
Page translation works with readable text. Image-only scans need text recognition first.
Checks protect source references, numbers and recognised units. Where a sentence fails, Oasis retains the English and marks the translation as partial.
Fluent speakers will help us check meaning, technical terms and local usage. Preserving a number does not guarantee that the explanation around it is right.
On 13 October, a Tumbuka answer and a Portuguese PDF page were translated through the live service, keeping originals and source references available.
A French seed-drying translation changed 35–40°C to 35°C; the check caught this and kept the sentence in English. Another output turned “pressed specimens” into printed samples while preserving its numbers. These examples show why speaker review matters alongside software checks.
05 / Oasis Knowledge
Oasis Knowledge brings together schoolbooks, practical guides and reference material. Explore maths and science, history and geography, growing food, caring for water, building homes or understanding how equipment works.
The live collection now has 176 published PDFs across seven libraries. Each library covers a broad subject, with sections to help you narrow down to a topic and choose what to read or ask Oasis about.
Browse Oasis KnowledgePrivate lab collection · approved email access required.
Library storage
Library storage is separate from the software drive, with options up to 2 TB for PDFs and search indexes. With a 2 TB drive and PDFs averaging around 10 MB, we estimate space for more than 100,000 PDFs, including room for indexes and updates.
File sizes vary. Searching a collection that large still needs development and testing; this is a storage estimate.
Reading and languages, maths, science, history and citizenship, geography and maps, and the natural world. Also teaching, accessibility, digital skills, work and business.
Crops and seeds, soil and water, home gardens, livestock and fish farming, trees and agroforestry, and harvest and food storage.
Drinking water and sanitation, rainwater, pumps and water supply, and accessible water and hygiene facilities at home and school.
Safe homes, shelter in a crisis, hosting, and inclusive housing and communities.
First aid and disease prevention, family health and nutrition, mental wellbeing, disability and inclusive care, and menstrual health. Read the guidance directly; Oasis cannot diagnose illness or replace professional care.
Solar equipment, batteries and charge controllers, motors and electrical safety, with original equipment manuals to consult.
Off-grid energy and solar, emergency preparedness, heat safety, and solar drying and food processing.
Collection checked . These are broad libraries and examples of their sections; some PDFs appear in more than one library or section.
This is a testing collection. Each local team should review relevance, permissions and safe use.
Adding to the collection
The local team can add PDFs on other subjects and organise new libraries and sections in Oasis Knowledge. Material is checked, indexed and published before it appears in the visitor collection, ready to search and read.
Scans may need text recognition. Encrypted PDFs cannot currently be indexed.
We’re building Oasis Library as an online source of knowledge packs and learning materials. Explore library progress →
06 / The online library
Working curator preview
One shared home for knowledge and learning. We’re creating Oasis Library as a central online library for authorised guides, PDF packs and lesson selections for Kuwala stations.
The aim is to gather and organise these materials in one place, keeping sources, authors and licence details with them. Each local team will be able to choose a collection for its community, download it when connected and use it on the station without internet access.
01 / Working in private preview
The private workspace can search document sources, prepare PDF-pack drafts and save a first Khan Academy lesson selection for review.
02 / Next
Build themed packs around local needs, from farming, water and shelter guides to lessons in maths, science and reading. Review permissions and suitability before publication.
03 / Ahead
Let each station choose what it needs, resume interrupted downloads and keep the working collection until an update is ready.
Tests on both station computers have checked verified downloads, recovery after interruptions and preparing a replacement library before switching away from the working version. These used test collections; reviewed publication and station downloads are still being developed.
The long-term aim is a central catalogue of tens of thousands of PDFs, with sources, authors and licence information retained. Each station would choose the material its community needs.
Private curator preview at library.kuwala.space. Public pack downloads are not yet available.
07 / Learning with Oasis
Build confidence with numbers. Explore how the world works. Learn something that opens up a new possibility.
We’re preparing themed lesson packs from Khan Academy, with videos and exercises to support learning at different stages. A learner could start with arithmetic, explore biology or work through the ideas behind running a small business.
Oasis Study opens lessons through Kolibri, Learning Equality’s platform for offline learning. Its own lesson viewer brings explanations, interactive practice and saved learner progress together.
The wider English selection was installed in our lab on 20 October. Tests have checked captioned video, a completed exercise and progress kept after a restart. We’re preparing themed packs from that selection, with local suitability still to assess.
These planned pack groupings draw on the Khan Academy selection now installed in our lab. They will sit alongside PDF knowledge packs, giving communities more ways to read, watch and practise.
Build from early maths and arithmetic into algebra, geometry and statistics, with opportunities to practise along the way.
Explore biology, chemistry and physics, then look further into Earth and space science, astronomy and electrical engineering.
Develop reading skills and understanding of grammar, supporting learning across other subjects too.
Discover world history and African art, exploring people, ideas and the ways societies have changed.
Work through financial literacy, personal finance, economics and entrepreneurship, from everyday money decisions to ideas for a business.
Support teachers’ development and help learners understand safer internet use.
The installed selection is in English and follows a US curriculum, with original credits and licence terms retained. Local teachers and communities will help assess reading levels, relevance and fit with their learners. Themed packs are still in preparation; public downloads are not yet available.
08 / Inside the station
Two compact computers, local Wi-Fi and solar power bring Oasis to a shared device.
The computers are running in our lab. We’re preparing to assemble the complete station for testing.
Power / A rough guide
From a full battery, allow around 16–24 hours of local use, or 8–12 hours with a compact satellite internet terminal running too. These are conservative planning ranges. The completed station is designed to keep Oasis and Oasis Knowledge available over local Wi-Fi when the terminal is switched off.
Solar charging can extend that time and top up the battery during the day. How much it adds depends on sunlight, panel position and how the station is being used.
These are planning estimates for a 50 Ah reference battery, without solar input or charging other devices. We’ll use the Victron monitor to measure real power use and running time once the complete station is assembled.
The reference battery is 12.8 V × 50 Ah, or 640 Wh nominal. We allow about 575 Wh of usable energy. For this planning guide we assume an average load of around 24–35 W locally, or 48–75 W with a compact satellite terminal.
Usable energy divided by average power gives about 16–24 hours locally or 8–12 hours with the terminal. These loads are planning assumptions for an active station, not measured averages or guaranteed limits; heavier use, device charging, battery condition and conversion losses can shorten running time.
Oasis / The software inside
Oasis uses four compact AI models, each with a distinct role on Kuwala. Meaning-based search needs a fresh check; keyword search provides a fallback.
An AI language model that searches, reads source passages and writes explanations, keeping the recent conversation in mind for your follow-ups.
An AI embedding model for finding related ideas when your question uses different words from the PDF. This path needs fresh verification after a 20 October connection failure. Keyword search helps with names and exact terms and remains the fallback.
An AI translation model for English answers and readable PDF-page text. It opens another way into the material when requested, with the original alongside.
An AI language model that suggests questions based on the answer and conversation. Your answer arrives first, then ideas for what to explore next. Suggestions are currently English trials.
AI can make mistakes. Check original sources, and seek qualified advice for safety-critical decisions. Read about translation and testing →
09 / The next checks
Once the station is assembled, we’ll test it as a complete system. We’ll combine what we’ve learned in the lab with practical checks and, once a host is agreed, a first local trial.
Search by words, narrow to a library or document and open the source pages. Meaning-based search awaits a fresh check after a failed lab connection.
Next: Verify meaning-based search again, then compare the same task with and without chat. Check understanding, time taken and where people need help.
Oasis reads supporting passages and checks quotations, references and unsupported numbers.
Next: Review more answers and follow-ups, including difficult documents and questions the library cannot answer. Check meaning as well as citations.
Local translation keeps originals available and labels additional language trials.
Next: Work with fluent speakers and readers on complete examples. Check technical terms, local wording and whether translation helps people understand the guidance.
Oasis and the libraries in Oasis Knowledge work locally on Kuwala. Solar charging, batteries and Wi-Fi will bring them together in the portable station.
Next: Test disconnected use, charging loads, running time, Wi-Fi reach and energy used per task.
The local team can upload PDFs and organise libraries. Collections are checked and indexed before publication.
Next: Choose material with a host, practise updates and check language, reading level and accessibility with readers.
Our first local trial will be shaped with a host. Explore development goals.