Jordanian innovators would not have seen the light of day if it weren’t for TechWorks, a unique Jordanian center, and forum for bringing together youths, ideas and resources to stimulate innovation, as per the AFP.
Founded in 2018 with its headquarters in the King Hussein Business Park, which is equipped with state-of-the-art technology such as 3D printers, TechWorks drew around 100 inventors and start-up companies, enabling them to produce prototypes quickly and at a low cost.
“TechWorks provided me with every support, back-up, advice and guidance” to help perfect the sterilizing device, after 23 attempts over almost two years, Says Saliba Taimeh, a 39-year-old engineer.
His invention sterilizes the handrails of escalators “from all kinds of viruses, such as coronavirus and bacteria.” After contacting several international cooperations, a German firm specialized in health and safety in public places agreed to manufacture the “Brigid Box,” which weighs 7.2 kilograms and can be installed in less than 15 minutes
High school student Zain Abu Rumman, 18, is another success story. He has developed a tracking device for elderly patients and people with special needs, worn like a watch or around the neck. The “SPS Watch” has a battery that lasts eight days and is resistant to water, heat and breakage. “The device can send alerts to the mobile phone of a family member through a special application in case the person wearing it falls or is hurt, or if he strays from a certain place,” Abu Rumman explains.
Omar Khader, 26, works for “Jazri Studio,” an industrial design company that has devised a “smart” plug to protect children from electric shocks.
“TechWorks has advanced equipment, engineers and technicians that help us convert our ideas into successful products,” he said.