August 27, 2014
The 10-year-old Emirati inventor, Adeeb Al Blooshi, outside London’s Science Museum.
Young Emirati inventor plans big
Even the gloomy British weather is a source of inspiration for the 10-year-old Emirati inventor, Adeeb Al Blooshi.
The young scientist is on a world tour to help him build on his previous inventions, which include a prosthetic limb for his father and a housework robot for his mother.
Because of his work he was named by CNN as among the world’s most impressive young medical pioneers.
But during Adeeb’s visit to London, where he met the UAE’s ambassador to the UK on Wednesday, his inventor’s mind was in overdrive over one of the country’s most humdrum problems: the rain.
Caught in a downpour in the UK capital, Adeeb’s sister Dana was holding an umbrella that blew inside out due to the strong wind.
That got Adeeb thinking about designs for a truly weatherproof umbrella, of a different shape and made of two layers and stronger metal.
“They didn’t sell umbrellas that have protection against the wind,” he said. “I’m actually working on that. But then again, in Dubai it’s not going to make much sense. We barely have any rain. We have too much sun.”
Adeeb is partway through a tour of seven countries to visit various science and research centres, which has been sponsored by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Sheikh Hamdan has assigned the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology to follow Adeeb’s progress on his travels.
The boy, who holds seven scientific patents and has received more than 100 certificates and awards, is a member of the Arab Robotics Association and an ambassador of the Emirates Identity Authority, where his father Sulaiman works.
He has already visited Germany, Italy, France and the United States, and is due to travel to Vietnam this year, where he will pick up an honour from Interpol, the international police agency, for his work.
“I’ve found out a lot. The tour is currently helping me a lot with information. I think when I’m done with the tour, I’m going to be able to offer my country a lot more,” he said.
In the US he attended space camp at the Space and Rocket Centre in Alabama. “The camp in general was really useful. I learnt a lot about space. It was also a lot of fun. We built rockets. Not firework rockets – manually launched rockets,” he said.
While the needs of his parents inspired his first two inventions, Adeeb is looking at broader problems to solve in the future.
He is looking at a smart fireman’s helmet with a built-in camera, inspired by a tragic story from his homeland.
“I read about a Dubai fireman who had died, and I didn’t like the fact that he’d died at all. I thought, why did no one save him, and why did he die?” he said.
But while he is only 10, Adeeb is too savvy to give away all his ideas to journalists.
“I can tell you about a few of my inventions, but I can’t really say too much to the media because of copyright issues,” he said.
The UAE’s ambassador to the UK, Abdulrahman Almutaiwee, presented Adeeb with a sand sculpture-framed image when he met the Al Blooshi family on Wednesday.
“I am very proud of having such a genius child who comes from my country,” Mr Almutaiwee said.
“There’s no doubt that his skills are uncomparable with other boys of his age. Thank God that we have someone like Adeeb.”
Adeeb’s father, Sulaiman, praised Sheikh Hamdan’s support.
“Everything Adeeb is doing, it will be for his country,” he said.
“Sometimes I am afraid about it, because he’s thinking bigger than his age. But when I’m sitting with him, and he’s explaining what he wants and what is his dream. Really, I am very happy.”
Adeeb says that he will continue to look for solutions to the big problems in life. “I want my inventions to be used for the good of humanity, that’s all I want for them,” he said. “I basically do that to help mankind, to make mankind more advanced.”
But it’s not all work for the young student at Gems Wellington School in Dubai.
“I don’t really like to combine the inventions with my personal life. [My school friends do] ask me, and when they do I answer them,” he said. “But then again, we’re all busy playing football.”
Young Emirati inventor plans big | The National
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March 28, 2014
Ten-year-old Adeeb Al Balooshi at home in Dubai. The schoolboy is thought to be one of the youngest inventors in the world.
10-year-old Emirati inventor to do science tour of world, courtesy of Dubai’s Crown Prince
The world has opened up for Emirati inventor Adeeb Al Balooshi, who at the tender age of 10 is about to embark on a seven-country tour of science.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, has taken special interest in the young scientist, who has already invented a prosthetic limb for his father and a housework robot for his mother.
Adeeb said he was thrilled to be going on the tour organised by Sheikh Hamdan to give him more self-confidence and inspire other young Emirati talents.
The Year 5 pupil at Gems Wellington International School in Al Sufouh will visit the US – including Nasa – France, the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Germany and Italy, during school holidays.
The tour will let Adeeb, who developed his first medical aparatus at the age of 4, explore fields including prosthetics, medical apparatus and sustainability.
He is most looking forward to visiting Munich, in Germany, where his cousins live, and the US.
Sheikh Hamdan has assigned the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology to follow Adeeb’s development throughout his tour.
The schoolboy is already an ambassador for the Emirates Identity Authority and he counts his parents as his main inspiration.
“My mum influenced me by telling me to never give up,” he said.
Adeeb’s father, who uses a prosthetic leg, first inspired Adeeb to develop medical apparatus.
“We went to the beach and my father couldn’t swim in the water,” Adeeb said, explaining the prosthetic his father had was not waterproof, and it was too dangerous to go in the sea without one.
So the young boy decided to upgrade his father’s prosthetic leg.
When in Germany, Adeeb will be able to check the progress of his idea, where an orthopaedic doctor is helping him to build it. He will also be attending a crash course on prosthetics.
In addition to prosthetics, the youngster has delved into robotics, inventing a small cleaning device to assist his mother about the house.
“My mum was having difficulties when cleaning the couch so I told her, ‘go and I’ll do the job for you’,” he said.
“Instead of doing the job, I made a robot that can do the job for us.”
After creating the device in less than a day, Adeeb surprised his mother when she found him watching television and not cleaning.
“She checked under the chair and she was really proud of me. She was shocked and she hugged me after that,” he said.
The device resembles a broom that can vibrate and consists of a vibrating motor, batteries and feathers.
His father, a businessman, influenced another idea that Adeeb thought of.
“He asked me, ‘what if I was in the car one day and I died, you have no idea I’m driving a car, I’m in the middle of nowhere, and the cellphone is out of battery, what would you do?’” he recalled.
After contemplating the question his father presented to him, Adeeb said he would create a seat belt with a heart monitor.
“If you die or anything, cops and the ambulance will come towards you and your entire household will be informed,” he said.
His creations have led Adeeb to be the head of the Arab Youth Council for Integrated Development’s committee of young inventors and innovators. He is also a member of the Arab Robotics Association and is considered one of the youngest inventors in the world.
He has more than 100 certificates and awards to his name but he also has several other interests, besides science. “I like things in the air, like skydiving and planes and animals,” he said.
Adeeb’s mother said: “I’m really proud of him and he always surprises me with his behaviour and ideas. He is a gift from God to us.”
10-year-old Emirati inventor to take science tour of world, courtesy of Dubaiâs Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum | The National
