KU students showcase innovative products

Abdulrahman Saeed, Staff Reporter

A number of students from Khalifa University have developed three innovations including a robotic multi-tasking car, a device that extracts drinking water from humid ambient air and a solar cooker. All of which rely on energy saving and on clean and sustainable energy.

Students Omar Al Hammadi and Suhaila Al Ali from the Mechanical Engineering Section have innovated a driverless vehicle used for several purposes, which they dubbed “PATRON”. Among the tasks that it can perform are firefighting and other Civil Defence missions.   

They explained that their device could be used in shopping malls, where security guards can easily drive among people around. It can also be used for delivery services thanks to its flexibility to pass through traffic jams more quickly. Furthermore, it can serve as a drone that is remotely controlled at large distances posing no risks to human lives. Not only these, it can be used in firefighting as well. It can go inside a building on fire, function as an extinguisher, rescue people trapped in blazing fires and safely exit. The total cost of innovation reached about Dhs30,000, the students said.

They continued, “Our innovation is a 15-horsepower electric vehicle with a maximum speed of about 40 km/h. It is wirelessly controlled via Wi-Fi by a laptop. The operator can adjust the desired location using the software that is designed for the device. The system will automatically transfer it to the specified location. It further allows customising the system according to the need. The vehicle contains Dicycle Motor, which is a key element in contributing to engineering success in the industrial sector. It weighs about 250kg, on an area of 1.8 m long and 0.71 m wide, to be able to carry passengers of any weight.”

On the other hand, a team from the Engineering Design Section, comprising Ahmad Al Mansouri, Sarah Al Hosani, Muhra Tamimi, Abdul Rahman Al Shehhi and Basma Al Habsi innovated a solar-powered device to extract water from moisture or cold air.

They explained that their innovation can be used in developing countries, which have difficulty finding clean drinking water. It can extract about 200mm of clean water per hour. It is further adaptable to be used by soldiers during their operations.

The innovation consists of a water cooler, an air humidifier, a water pump, a closed tank, and a small water tank. It costs only between Dhs300-500.

Also a team from different sections at the university, comprising Rashid Baswaid, Mohammed Al Zaabi, Abdullah Al Ali and Ahmed Radhi innovated a project called “Solar Cooker”. It is a portable thermal device that can only cook with solar energy without the supply of any other energy. It provides heat reached up to 110ºC in 30 minutes. It aims to help low-income and leisure travellers to provide a low-cost power supply of Dhs149.

According to the team, the project contains a mirror that helps to reflect sunrays into the food pan, supported by a can that helps keep the heat inside the device. It is equipped with four magnifying lenses to help focus the rays to cook faster. There are also four pieces of cork covered with aluminium inside to help reflect and maintain the solar energy inside.