Abu Dhabi: Fancy a jacket that not only looks cool on you but can literally keep you cool – temperature wise? Or how about a wristband that can read UV exposure levels or a portable garage for your car?
These were just some of the amazing products featured at the UAE’s first ever Wearable Tech Show held at the Yas Viceroy Hotel in Abu Dhabi last week.
Suhaib Al Turk, a 17-year-old Syrian student who is the brain behind the Cooling Jacket, is hopeful of finding an investor who can help market his product.
The jacket comes with a pair of shoes that acts as a walking generator to convert the kinetic energy of movement into electrical energy. A wire from the shoes connects to a pocket battery that can store the energy generated while walking or running. The battery can power the two small fans fitted into the jacket.
“You can generate and store 1,800 amperes of energy by walking for one and a half hours. Once the battery is charged, you can switch on the fans,” said Suhail.
Get charged
The battery can also be used to charge mobile phones and MP3 players.
“It is perfect for the summer and the best thing about the product is that it is 100 per cent environment friendly,” said Suhail who is seeking a scholarship to pursue electronic engineering.
Fadi Tarabay, an engineer in Mussafah, has come up with an ‘umbrella’ for cars in summer. He calls it Mobile Smart Garage.
“My wife would often complain about the heat in the car whenever it was left parked uncovered during the daytime. I came up with the idea of a mobile garage while thinking of a solution to help my wife and child,” said Taraby.
The smart garage is an expandable box that can be permanently fixed on top of any car. With the press of a button, the box will expand to a size big enough to cover the car when it is parked.
“The first prototype of the box weighs around 12kg, and it will cost not more than Dh3,000,” said Taraby.
Another summer-friendly product exhibited was a wristband that vibrates when the wearer is exposed to extreme UV rays that can be dangerous to the skin.
Also on display was a hand sanitiser that can scan hands to see whether they are 100 per cent sanitised.
A brainchild of Dhia Al Din Fawzi Kudaih, a senior physiotherapist with Mafraq Hospital, the sanitiser will help reduce infection in hospitals.
Tech fashion
The exhibition also saw fashion brands from Europe exhibiting dresses that have solar panels integrated into them, and help the wearer charge mobile phones on the go.
Dutch designer Pauline van Dongen’s solar T-shirt and illuminated running shirts and jackets were a big draw.
Vono Marketing that has organized the first ever Wearable Tech Show in the Middle East said the exhibition aims to promote Arab innovation and help start-ups promote their products.
