Success Stories
About the Project
As a renowned life coach and public speaker, Mohammed has transformed into quite the celebrity in Qatar. A passionate educator, he takes great pleasure in delivering leadership programs to youth with special needs. To his chagrin, many educational services for the hearing-impaired fail to utilise the latest technologies. Mohammed went looking for a solution and applied to Stars of Science to develop it; an interactive robotic teacher for deaf children that made him a top-four candidate in Season 9.
The robot uses advanced tech to provide engaging, innovative sign language instructions to students. It recognises sign language with a specialised camera and software.
Many children with hearing impairment suffer from a limited vocabulary as they can only recognise and memorise visual words. Mohamed’s innovation increases access to instruction, improves learning at an early age, and ensures no one is left behind.
Beyond Stars of Science
Following the show, Mohammed’s invention, now named Robot SeeDo, won awards and recognition around the world. The Qatari inventor took home a gold medal at the International Exhibition of Inventions held in Geneva, April 2018, and another gold medal at the 10th International Invention Exhibition in Kuwait, January 2018. In the latter competition, he also won first place in the Gulf Cooperation Council Patent Office GCCPO Award category.
With his mind overflowing with ideas, Mohammed devised another creation: Deafpedia, a universal 3D sign language database with a tailored application that delivers learning courses. Unsurprisingly, it also garnered international accolades, including a World Summit Award (WSA) in 2018.
This unique award system supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Agenda, honouring ground-breaking digital inventions across more than 180 countries. Due to his relentless drive in pursuit of innovation, the Qatari now serves as a judge at the WSA awards, lending his expertise in the human empowerment category.
To support both inventions, Mohammed founded ‘Abilitx,’ an organisation focused on developing these and other technologies that benefit disabled people around the world.
In light of the recent pandemic and the rise of digitalization in education, Mohammed launched an online academy named Aktabot dedicated to the Arab youth and aiming to make knowledge one click away! He is also the founder and CEO of Creativity Qatar, an incubation centre dedicated to supporting budding Qatari innovators, including Eiman Al-Hamad, a contestant on Stars of Science Season 12! “There are many good ideas but not enough incubation centres in the Arab world to support starting entrepreneurs. I want to encourage brilliant minds, lead them to their final stages, and see their products in the market,” Mohammed notes.
As if that was not enough, he spends the rest of his time working as a consultant in several government organisations in the State of Qatar, including the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
To Mohammed, success is a process. “It is a long road ahead,” he said. “What keeps me going is seeing people use my products and services and more importantly being satisfied with it!” He is currently working on a software application to help deaf people speak. Through an array of games, the app adjusts users’ sounds until they are able to read out letters, words, and full sentences.
Personal Reflection
The inspirational thought leader is an enthusiastic promoter of diversity across the region. “Living in Qatar taught me that with privilege comes responsibility,” he said. “We live in a multicultural society, and we have to take advantage of it. I owe my success to my Egyptian science teacher, my Sudanese geography teacher, and my Jordanian mathematics teacher. They have planted the seed of passion for knowledge in me. Now it is my responsibility to pass this on.”
Follow Mohammed
Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook: @maljefairi
Snapchat: @nethelper
