Oluwatobi Oyinlola, popularly known as “Internet of Tobi,” has etched his name into global history books by developing the world’s smallest GPS tracking device prototype, a feat that recently earned him a Guinness World Record. This revolutionary device—measuring just 22.93 mm by 11.92 mm, smaller than a standard SIM card—was built in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and has since unlocked endless possibilities for innovation across industries.
A Nigerian-born award-winning inventor, entrepreneur, and IoT evangelist, Oyinlola’s journey from the streets of Ibadan to MIT’s prestigious Senseable City Lab is a powerful story of resilience, ingenuity, and purpose-driven passion. Widely celebrated for his work in implementing Internet of Things (IoT) solutions across Africa, his impact is deeply felt in sectors such as energy, urban development, transportation, and digital inclusion.
As an embedded systems engineer, Oyinlola is a dynamic force in global tech, with deep expertise in robotics, firmware engineering, and smart systems design. He has invented and mass-produced over 15 IoT-enabled hardware products, including Nigeria’s first pay-as-you-go solar system and SolarPocha, the world’s first solar-powered IoT-enabled workstation.
His remarkable journey has seen him featured by Intel as a Software Innovator, celebrated by the World IoT Day, and chosen to represent Africa at the prestigious Hackaday competition in San Francisco, where he developed a sensor to detect lightning strikes. His role on the engineering team of Elon Musk’s Hyperloop project further cements his place among the most forward-thinking engineers of this generation.
Beyond the accolades and global recognition, Oluwatobi’s story reflects the power of resilience, the depth of innovation in Africa, and the unstoppable passion to rewrite what’s possible. President Bola Tinubu and Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Dr. Bosun Tijani, have publicly applauded his groundbreaking contributions, highlighting the growing relevance of Nigerian talent on the world stage.
In a world where innovation defines progress, Oluwatobi Oyinlola is not just changing the game—he is changing the rules, setting a new standard for what it means to lead with purpose, create with impact, and disrupt with compassion.
