Wednesday, 30 August 2006

JEDDAH: Around 200 Saudi inventors, mostly young students, are displaying their inventions as a part of the ongoing Regional Scientific Conference for Giftedness being held here.

The conference, organized by the King Abdul Aziz & his Companions Foundation for the Gifted, has received more than 100 entries from young inventors from different Education Zones and regions.

A 20-year-old student, Mohanad Baktawer, from Taybiah University in Madina, has developed a new idea to produce pure water from Water Conversion Apparatus using natural energy.

Baktawer's invention works on the principle of condensation. He is working to develop to make it practical for commercial use.

The apparatus consists of two water tubes, the first is connected to a heater which absorbs energy from the sun and then increases the water temperature to the boiling point. The first water tube is connected to another tube made of clay. Boiling water in the first tube produces vapor which moves to the second tube and gets condensed.

One of the youngest inventors, Ammar Mahmoud, a 13-year-old student from Yunbu, reused toy parts to develop a cap for the deaf.

Ammar who spent about 15 days creating and developing idea for his inventions said that he wanted to help deaf people.

Ammar's invention works on a device attached inside the cap. The device is connected to a remote control. If someone presses on the button, the device inside the cap vibrates and then the deaf can feel that someone is calling him.

Faiz Al-Alati who supervised Ammar's invention stressed on the importance of using curricula and science while creating an invention.  

"Invention and science go hand-in-hand with creativity and education. Inventing is a vehicle for students to express creativity, learn academic skills, and build positive self-images. Students learn about invention through a curriculum that emphasizes the creative process, scientific inquiry skills, and problem solving," Alati told The Saudi Gazette.

He added that Gifted Students Centers inside schools can reshape the creativity and then produce a creative generation.

Abdul Qader Al-Harithi with the assistance of 40 students in the Vocational institute in Riyadh succeeded to make a solar energy powered car.

"It is not a new idea, but it is made in Saudi Arabia," Al-Harithi said.

The 2-seater car works on the 12-solar panels which are attached to six batteries. The car has a speed of 60 km an hour.

"It took 10 days to come up with this design and it was tested in Riyadh by our instructors," he added.

Zyad Ahmed, 13, made a solar-powered bulb with the help of three of his classmates.

"We brought a control board and bulb and attached them into a solar panel. When the panel receives the normal sunlight the bulb automatically turns on," Zyad explained.

He added that his project aims to create a whole system on the solar energy and thus conserve electricity.

Abdullah Al-Rasheed, a neurologist at Security Forces Hospital in Riyadh, has developed a fever alarm that can be used for kids, adults and patients in hospital.

Al-Rasheed called his invention "pillow thermometer."

Rasheed's invention works on a digital thermometer as big as a matchbox hidden in the corner of the pillowcase with a long wire with a small sensor attached to the pillowcase in the middle of the pillow.

"During sleep, the head touches the sensor and since the scalp is rich of blood supply, it measures the body temperature in a reliable way," Rasheed said.

He added that it takes five minutes to record temperature and there is a memory and a watch in the device if the temperature is higher than the normal range it beeps.

By Abdullah Al-Hariri

© The Saudi Gazette 2006