Omar Hamid of Egypt and Fawzy Othman of Tunisia triumphed in an elimination episode of Stars of Science, an “edutainment reality” TV programme initiated by Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.
They delivered a spirited defence of their prototypes to prevail over their competitors, Abdullah Aldossary of Saudi Arabia and Hussam al-Hinnawi of Palestine, in an episode that featured Season 7’s “most diverse set of inventions yet”, according to a statement.
The Arab world’s most promising young innovators compete against each other to make their ideas come alive on the series.
Fawzy explained to the jury how his Robotic Goalie Trainer could revolutionise goalkeepers’ practice sessions by automatically shooting footballs as part of a customised programme, while Omar unveiled a re-engineered, compact Prayer Chair designed to offer assistive sitting and standing to worshippers in a mosque with physical disabilities.
Hussam demonstrated how his Automatic Stair Climber Machine uses robotic, tank-style treads for users to ascend stairs without effort at the press of a button, and Abdullah debuted his Airport Smart Chair, a lounger with many automated features, including an alarm that notifies travellers when their plane begins boarding, even if they are sleeping.
The jury included Yussif Abdulrahman Saleh, general manager of Qatar Shell Research and Technology Centre, and Dr Fouad Mrad, executive director of the United Nations ESCWA regional technology centre.
Joining them was Dr Francois Gilardoni, a prominent venture capitalist and scientist from Geneva, Switzerland.
Omar outscored everyone, earning 69 points, while Fawzy came in second with 52.3 points. Abdullah and Hussam were placed third and fourth, respectively, and eliminated from the competition.
“I’m humbled that the jury appreciated the potential of the Prayer Chair as well as its possible applications even beyond the mosque,” said Omar.
“Advancing this far is a crowning achievement for me and a testament to the effectiveness of the programme,” said Fawzy.
