Students’ pillow to alert sleepy drivers

Hadeel Adil, Staff Reporter

FUJAIRAH: Four students at the Yanabee Al Marifa Private School in Dibba al-Fujairah, Ibrahim Mustafa, Mahmoud Attia, Yousef Thabet, and Mohammed Sabri, in the 9th grade, invented a smart pillow to alert drivers in case they snooze.

The students said the pillow has sensors through which signals are translated into a warning sound to alert the driver immediately on his snooze.

The project was supervised by Design and Technology teacher Iman Abdel Fattah.

Ibrahim Mustafa said the mechanism of the pillow is based on sensors on the sides and back, besides an alert unit to which the sensors send instant signals instantly on the movement of the driver’s head to any of the sides or the back.

Mahmoud Attia said, “The pillow is easy to use and we are working on developing it through providing Bluetooth connected to the sound system in the vehicle to enhance the sounds of the outgoing alert, as well as the developing the sensors and distributing them around the pillow, not only in the sides and back.”

Yousef Thabet said, “We briefed the Dibba Fujairah police on the project, and we will take part in the UAE Transport Safety and Traffic Education Competition. We also were part of the students’ projects participating in the Elite Innovators Exhibition organised by the Friends of the Environment Society in Al Ain. We look forward to finding a sponsor for our project.”

The Innovation Month was announced to celebrate “innovation” across the nation. The month-long festival aimed to contribute to strengthening the country’s position as a global hub for innovation. The aim was also to enhance the development of innovative ideas and capabilities, and create a widespread culture of innovation. It also aimed at celebrating innovation in the UAE and supporting the national innovation strategy. UAE Innovation Month is one of the largest innovation festivals in the world and a consolidated effort by government, the private sector and individuals to help create a widespread culture of innovation in the UAE.

Recognising innovation as a cornerstone of social and economic development, nations around the world have set about to develop national innovation strategies and frameworks. Innovation is key to promoting economic growth, increasing competitiveness and providing new job opportunities.