Beans will be turned into chocolate on Tcho's elaborate production line, which is being used as a test-bed for remote video-monitoring of industrial processes by researchers at Fuji Xerox in Palo Alto.

ECONOMIST: A start-up innovates in an unexpected field

Like the lab-on-a-chip that allows people in remote parts of the world to test for HIV and syphilis, OraQuick can save lives by giving people hesitant to go to the clinic a test they can perform relatively easily and in the privacy of their own homes.

FORBES: FDA Approves First At-Home HIV Test

Arthur Zang, a 24 year-old Cameroonian engineer, has invented the Cardiopad, a touch screen medical tablet that enables heart examinations such as the electrocardiogram (ECG) to be performed at remote, rural locations while the results of the test are transferred wirelessly to specialists who can interpret them.

FORBES: Young African Invents Touch Screen Medical Tablet