Six high school students and finalists will now have their remarkable, life changing and even life-saving projects, funded by a UAE-based billionaire doctor.
A group of three young Emirati schoolboys have developed what could be the next big game changers in the healthcare industry, not only for the UAE, but for around the world.
Six high school students and finalists, who were picked from a business-plan competition, will now have their remarkable, life changing and even life-saving projects, funded by a UAE-based billionaire doctor and managing director of VPS Healthcare, Dr Shamsheer Vayalil.
The competition, which also worked in partnership with Abu Dhabi's Al Bayt Mitwahid Association, has led to the funding of Dh1 million to help bring the students' ideas to life.
One of the projects developed by 15-year-old Ahmed Al Romaithi, is Epilepsy Application, which provides an alarm mechanism to epilepsy patients during the event of a seizure.
Just one day before taking-off on his internship in The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, as part of The Global Young Leaders Academy (GYLA), the student told it was witnessing the years of pain his little brother endured from epilepsy, that eventually drove him to come-up with the life-changing device.
He said: "I decided to create a wearable device for him so that when he gets a seizure the family members are immediately alerted."
The device has a secondary benefit - reading the data by analysing the patient's brainwaves - which could eventually help doctors create a cure for the illness in the future, said Al Romaithi, a student at Al Ittihad Model School. The product, which took between four-six months to implement, will also help drive more Emirati students in the UAE to come up with life-changing ideas, to change the healthcare industry for the better.
Know your allergen
Hamel Al Qubaisi, 18, was another finalist picked for the fund - for developing the 'Medics Data,' which aims to minimise wrong medical usage in hospitals.
Al Qubaisi and his friend, Khalifa Al Khouri, came up with the idea after realising a majority of the UAE's population do not know what their bodies are allergic to. "If someone suddenly gets food poisoning and they don't know what they're allergic to, this device will help identify their allergies and what medications to take. It will help people, especially in the UAE, where many people suffer from allergies due to weather conditions."
He said the healthcare industry needs a fingerprint system to help better the safety of the population.
The product will be provide subscribers with a service, where all of their medical data will be stored in a safe network and can only be accessed by using identification cards and fingerprints. The device will be available in the UAE, starting off in Abu Dhabi in VPS hospitals and will eventually be available in all the hospitals across the nation.
Saving lives
Khaled Mohammed Al Dhaheri, 16, Al Ittihad National Private School, Al Ain, also created a unique invention that will not only help change the healthcare sector, but also help save lives on the roads.
Al Dhaheri and a team of four students came up with 'We Heart,' - a monitor that aims to decrease the number of road accidents caused by those who fall asleep on the wheel.
"It is a stand alone product that can be purchased and attached inside the vehicle, including in the seatbelt, the steering wheel and the seat itself."
He said if the driver falls asleep, his heart rate increases, in which the monitor that is connected to the car speaker, alarms the driver.
"I feel so excited and happy that my project will one day become a product that's available in the market - a product that saves lives," added Al Dhaheri.
SOURCE : KHALEEJTIMES