Mohanad Gebriel Abo Dayah is 23 and has 22 registered inventions to his credit. If that's not remarkable enough, the young inventor from Jizan is visually and physically challenged, and is studying for a degree in industrial engineering at King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM). He presented two of his creations at the Ibtikar 2010 exhibition: an electronic circuit useful in new inventions and a one-year school curriculum in Arabic that focuses on training young inventors. Abo Dayah is also the first Saudi inventor credited with a submarine designed to go 5,625 meters deep. “I have named it the ‘Arabian falcon' and I dedicated it to King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, during his recent visit to Jizan,” he said. Two years ago, Abo Dayah's car broke down on his way from Jizan, where he was studying, to Riyadh, where his family lives. When he got out to examine the engine, he was hit by a speeding car. Abo Dayah slipped into a coma for 20 days and lost his eyesight. To make matters worse, a doctor erroneously amputated his right leg. “In spite of all my personal problems, I will continue to work on many more inventions. I am not disabled or blind, I am an inventor, who is driven by high motivation,” he said. His invention, ‘Sensor x', is a box-like device, the size of a small radio, containing an electronic circuit. According to Abo Dayah, it is very useful for other inventors whose inventions depend upon the use of electricity. “Most beginners and young inventors face problems when they have to make a circuit inside their devices as it requires a lot of training and experience. If they use Sensor x and something goes wrong during the production process, only the circuit will be affected, which can be removed from the main device, thus saving the inventor a lot of time and money. He can then get a new Sensor x and go back to his device instead of starting from scratch,” he explained, adding that his invention is of great help to engineering students and those in high school. Abo Dayah has already bagged a contract with a Syrian company to manufacture his device on a commercial scale. “It will be available in the market by the end of summer,” he said with a smile. His other innovation is an extensive teaching kit comprised of books and CDs, which “teach young inventors to work on their projects gradually and professionally,” he said, adding “many private schools have recently shown an interest in adopting this curriculum for their students, especially for those in secondary school”. “A good inventor is one whose invention is useful for society and not just a showpiece in an exhibition,” he said. Abo Dayah will soon open his institute under the name ‘Isterlab', which he claims will be the first of its kind in the Arab world. “Young inventors will be trained in the center. The aim is to generate Muslim inventors who can help their countries and develop them through their innovations,” he said. “I hope Isterlab will fill the gap between inventors and investors as we will present our ideas to the business community as well.” He hoped that Saudi media would highlight inventors and their creations and help to bring in support from businessmen and society.
