ABU DHABI // The next generation of the nation’s innovators put their bright ideas on display on Thursday at the 2015 Innovator Show.
There are more than 100 exhibits at the show, at the East Plaza on the Corniche, which concludes on Friday. Majid Al Mail, head of the innovator initiative at the Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee, said the show was a chance to “nurture innovation in the UAE”.
As the event began, he said: “You can see the energy, the innovation. It’s amazing.”
There was a wide range of ideas on display, including a Braille printer for the blind made of Lego, homemade 3-D printers, energy harvesting exercise bicycles, and a device claimed to be the world’s first automatic bubble tea maker.
Aisha Al Midfa and Mouza Al Ahmed, from Sharjah American International School, were on hand to explain their digital book reader — a device that can read printed pages out loud.
Ms Al Midfa said the device had a camera to take pictures of the pages, whereafter the images are analysed by a computer, converted to a text file, and transformed into an audio file that is read aloud through speakers.
The pair, with fellow student Zainab Al Ali, built the device and created a custom-made computer programme for it.
“It is for the blind and older people who can’t read,” said Ms Al Midfa.
Both inventors explained that a page-turning robot would soon be added to the design.
Concerned with the waste of water, New York University Abu Dhabi student Jagan Narayanan, 20, developed a water-recycling bin, a device that makes use of the water remaining in bottles that have been discarded.
“The problem is, every time we throw something in the recycling bin, we think the problem is solved,” he said.
His invention cuts open the plastic bottles, collects the remaining water, and can send it through a filter. The water then can be used for watering plants, cleaning, or even drinking with further filtration.
Siraj Shikhli, 23, a University of Sharjah graduate, was busy going down the list of features of his security surveillance robot, which he said was “the first security robot made in the UAE”.
The robot has a night-vision camera, a temperature sensor, and tractor-tyre treading capable of conquering rough terrain — all controlled by a self-developed android app via Wi-Fi.
Mr Shikhli said the robot could be used to explore areas where a human being would not want to go, such as during an antiterrorism operation.
On the more recreational side, NYU students Daniel Carelli, Nicholas White, Jovan Javancevic, and Enes Krijestorac, all 19, developed the Mall Ball, which they described as a giant toy for adults.
“Our goal is to enhance the user experience at the mall,” said Mr Javancevic.
Mr Al Mail said the exhibits would all be judged by a panel according to several criteria, including originality, overall impression, creativity, social effect, and visitor interaction.
Prizes will be awarded in areas such as aerospace, sustainability, life sciences, electronics, as well as a visitor’s choice award.
“It’s not a competition,” he said. “It’s about building a community.”
He said the show played an important role in developing a thriving science, technology, and innovation sector, and contributed to the growth of a knowledge-based economy.
“If we are to realise the Abu Dhabi 2030 Economic Vision it is vital that we develop human capital in the STI sectors,” he said. “It is vital for us to work together and embed STI within the community, engaging minds from young to old.
“Programmes such as Innovator and events such as the show provide opportunities for local innovators to display their home-grown creations, learn from key role models, and share ideas with peers and like-minded individuals in an idea exchange platform.”
The show concludes this evening with Dh60,000 up for grabs for the best inventions.
esamoglou@thenational.ae
