'TechWorks' Brings Dreams of Jordan Inventors to Life

Zain Abu Rumman pointing at his invention (AFP)
Zain Abu Rumman pointing at his invention (AFP)
TT

'TechWorks' Brings Dreams of Jordan Inventors to Life

Zain Abu Rumman pointing at his invention (AFP)
Zain Abu Rumman pointing at his invention (AFP)

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.



Airlines Avoid Iranian Airspace, Hiking up Flight Times and Fuel Costs

Smoke rises over Beirut's southern suburbs and their surroundings after strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Sin El Fil, Lebanon October 3, 2024. REUTERS/Abdelaziz Boumzar
Smoke rises over Beirut's southern suburbs and their surroundings after strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Sin El Fil, Lebanon October 3, 2024. REUTERS/Abdelaziz Boumzar
TT

Airlines Avoid Iranian Airspace, Hiking up Flight Times and Fuel Costs

Smoke rises over Beirut's southern suburbs and their surroundings after strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Sin El Fil, Lebanon October 3, 2024. REUTERS/Abdelaziz Boumzar
Smoke rises over Beirut's southern suburbs and their surroundings after strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Sin El Fil, Lebanon October 3, 2024. REUTERS/Abdelaziz Boumzar

Airlines are largely avoiding Iranian airspace in their flights over the Middle East, according to flight tracker FlightRadar24, lengthening flight times and hiking up fuel costs as worries over a retaliatory attack from Israel targeting Iran grow.

Turmoil in the Middle East in the last year has led to confusion and upheaval for aviation, prompting airlines to frequently change routes as they reassess the safety of the airspace in the region, according to Reuters.

"Most airlines have rerouted flights away from Iran, with the northern route taking flights through Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India on their way to Asia, and the southern route flying over Egypt and Saudi Arabia," said FlightRadar24 spokesperson Ian Petchenik.

Some airlines have said they have resumed most of their operations across the Middle East since Iran hit Israel with a ballistic missile attack on Tuesday, leading to flight cancellations and delays.

Petchenik said most strategic changes to flights to avoid parts of the Middle East have been lifted in direct connection with the Tuesday attack.

Late on Wednesday, German group Lufthansa said it would resume flights to Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan using a limited amount of Iraqi airspace, and will resume using Jordanian airspace on Thursday.

It added that flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut and Tehran will remain suspended for the time being.