LOC10:08
07:08 GMT
KUWAIT, Feb 10 (KUNA) -- participation in the 16th Middle East International Invention Exhibition supports Gulf inventors, helps open wider paths and creates links with investment opportunities, said GCC Patent Office official Majed Al-Rafeeq said.
In a statement to KUNA on Tuesday, Al-Rafeeq said the GCC General Secretariat is participating this year with six inventors, noting the exhibition features more than 200 inventors.
This reflects its growing role as a platform that brings together diverse ideas and technologies and enables knowledge exchange among participants and innovation stakeholders, he pointed out.
He added the GCC Patent Office has allocated three awards to be presented to winners on the exhibition's final day, as part of the Secretariat's support for Gulf innovators and efforts to strengthen their presence in specialized scientific events.
This year's exhibition theme, "Bringing Investors Together with Inventors," aligns with the goal of supporting and marketing innovations by offering an environment where inventors can present projects to investors and interested parties and turn ideas into scalable opportunities, Al-Rafeeq remarked.
In a similar statement, Kuwaiti inventor Siham Abdullah Al-Otaibi highlighted the importance of her innovation, a "Medical Sterilization and Healthcare Bed," in providing advanced preventive and treatment solutions to confront viruses and bacteria.
She said the idea emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, then developed into a comprehensive tool to help prevent various bacterial threats in preventive medicine and burn treatment.
Al-Otaibi said the bed was designed as a multi-purpose solution serving several medical and cosmetic sectors, featuring flexible engineering with three modes: closed for sterilization, open for use, and foldable for storage. She expressed hope the product will help enhance the efficiency of the healthcare system.
Qatari inventor Mohsen Al-Sheikh presented his innovation, the "Mahallat Smart E-Commerce Platform," which enables shop owners to launch stores instantly via barcode technology without photographing products, while providing a large image inventory to facilitate digital transformation.
Al-Sheikh said the platform features a "smart early-warning system" to alert users when products are nearing expiry to protect public health and reduce waste, in addition to a dual delivery system for goods and individuals linked to a rewards system to encourage volunteer work.
In sustainability, Bahraini inventor Dr. Omaima Al-Abbasi presented her innovation, a "Passive Cooling System Using Perforated Clay Bricks Reinforced with Palm Fibers," offering a solution for regulating building temperatures in hot climates by integrating locally available natural materials.
Al-Abbasi said the system achieved a surface temperature reduction of nearly 20 degrees Celsius at peak summer, driven by an engineering design combining airflow, thermal mass and moisture absorption, supporting concepts of sustainable construction and circular economy.
To serve the visually impaired, Emirati inventor Aisha Al-Zarouni showcased her innovation, a "Touch-Based Electronic Text Reading Device," in the form of a smart glove equipped with a Braille cell that enables reading digital content privately without audio.
Al-Zarouni said the device operates through a mobile application that converts text into Braille signals sent to the glove to form letters automatically, allowing users to read by touch, letter by letter, with accuracy and ease.
In the energy sector, Omani inventor Khaled Al-Durmeki presented a "Smart Electrical Distribution Panel," describing it as a qualitative shift through "selective protection" technology that disconnects power only from the faulty circuit while ensuring the rest of the system remains operational.
Al-Durmeki said the panel enhances safety standards through highly sensitive protective breakers and meets smart-city requirements via a control unit that enables remote load management and monitoring of electrical and thermal data through a smart application.
Saudi inventor Mansour Ali Al-Qarni also participated with an "Acoustic Performance Testing Device" designed to train broadcasters and content creators, analyzing a trainee's voice to determine suitability for radio and television use.
Al-Qarni said the device accurately distinguishes between an "ideal" balanced voice and a "non-ideal" voice affected by performance distortion or reliance on nasal resonance, helping professionals refine vocal skills. (end)
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