Emirati pupil scoops international awards for robot design that helps elderly


Salam Al Amir
  • English
  • Arabic

A young designer from Sharjah has scooped multiple awards for his "Doctor Robot" creation that helps the elderly and disabled keep in contact with their physicians.

Ali Humaid Al Loughani, 12, a pupil at Sharjah’s American School of Creative Science, said he developed the robot to help reduce the need for patients to visit their doctor regularly.

“Doctor Robot relies on the Internet of Things to provide medical consultations and round-the-clock patient monitoring."

The robot's cables, when attached to a patient's body, can read and record their vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature.

“This data is then transmitted and stored securely in the cloud and is accessible to doctors through a dedicated website I built,” he explained to The National.

Doctors can access this website anytime for an update on their patients' health conditions and can also receive alerts in cases of emergency.

“It also helps reduce costs due to repeated hospital visits," he added.

The 12-year-old started building the Doctor Robot in 2021 and completed its construction in a year.

The robot's cables connect to a person's vital signs. Photo: Antonie Robertson / The National
The robot's cables connect to a person's vital signs. Photo: Antonie Robertson / The National

Ali won a host of awards at the 34th International Invention, Innovation and Technology exhibition in Malaysia.

Competing against 700 participants from 19 countries, the robot won first place in the medical field category and second place in the young innovator category.

The project also received awards at the 14th Arab Robotics Championship and the National Science, Technology, and Innovation Festival in the UAE.

His mother, Sheikha Al Naqabi, said Ali has been showing signs of his creative brilliance from a very young age.

“He would dismantle his toys and rebuild them and even assist his father in fixing broken household items,” Ms Al Naqabi said.

Seeing his potential, Ali's family encouraged his interests by enrolling him in several science camps across the country, including those organised by Adnoc in Abu Dhabi, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and the Emirates Science Club in Dubai.

However, Ali's curiosity did not stop at the camps and he continuously researched and viewed videos on several topics and on how to build things, especially robots.

“He is fond of mathematics too and has been an active participant in Smart Brain competitions,” Ms Al Naqabi said.

“Ali also authored two books which were showcased in Abu Dhabi’s international book fair.”

One book released in 2022 in English is titled "Giving Without Limit” and the other written in Arabic in 2021 is named “Manee and the Stars".

Ms Al Naqabi said Ali is also a member of the Sharjah Children Shura Council, the Dubai Police’s safety ambassadors programme. He has actively participated in volunteering campaigns organised by the Red Crescent and the Sharjah Volunteering Centre.

His mother said Ali maintains a near-perfect average in school and his three younger siblings look up to him and call him their hero.

"They are motivated by what he does and try to copy him," she said.

Future plans

Science and maths are not Ali’s only passions. He loves swimming, basketball, and recently took up drawing.

“He made the most of his time at home during the Covid-19 pandemic to learn from online resources,” his mother said.

Ali said he has future plans to upgrade the robot to be able to administer injections and provide oxygen to patients who need it.

Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal 

Rating: 2/5

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THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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French business

France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.

French business

France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
EA Sports FC 26

Publisher: EA Sports

Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S

Rating: 3/5

Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

SHAITTAN
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars

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Updated: May 29, 2023, 1:53 PM`