From a teleporter to smart steering, Fatima AlKaabi has stunning inventions and delightful ideas up her sleeve
Having begun inventing things since she was all of seven, Fatima AlKaabi is rightfully recognized as the youngest Emirati inventor.
Now, with 12 inventions to her credit and a slew of accolades, the young woman is championing everything from sustainability to practical solutions to her community’s issues. And the best consequence of it all has undoubtedly been in becoming an inspiration to many others, a success story for Emirati women that looks just like them.
Team Yalla caught up with the charismatic yet humble inventor as she picked up yet another commendation at the second Emirati Women Achievers (EWA) event about her current ongoings, Emirati Women’s Day 2023, the future and more!
What’s the present looking like for you?
“I went to school at Virginia Tech in the States. I graduated in May with a computer engineering degree. Okay. So I’m an engineer. But I just got back so I’m still in the process of looking for a job. Inshallah here in Abu Dhabi.”
Of all the things you’ve invented, which one is your favourite?
“I find it very hard to pick just one invention, because I think each one kind of signifies a period of my time, my technical knowledge, but also a problem that I wanted to solve every problem that I saw, I was passionate in that period. They all mean something mean so much to me.
But I think my favorite, since it’s the most technologically advanced, and the one that I really enjoyed working on was the teleporter robot that attends school for sick children. Basically, the idea was to take old hoverboards that I had with a bunch of recycled materials and turn it into something that people could use.”
Tell us a little more about your inspiration
“Initially, I was really inspired [as] I skipped school a lot because of a lot of events that I did, growing up, you know, science fairs, competitions, etc and I had to catch up with my teachers after school.
And one of them told me, why don’t you just build the robot that goes to school as a joke. But I thought I’ll do it. And luckily, it’s been implemented at my local high school already! I’ve even had pregnant students from local universities reach out to me for it, as well as others during COVID-19.”
Is entrepreneurship on the cards?
“I mean, honestly, I have always wanted to pursue entrepreneurship and start my own thing, because a very big part of what I do is marketing of ideas. I enjoy building the things, I enjoy talking about them and sharing those stories.
But I lack the skills when it comes to, you know, negotiating with companies knowing how and where to manufacture if you want to start somewhere. So I’m hoping one day to build that knowledge, you know, financial literacy and other skills I need. So I’m hoping once I find a stable job to start pursuing.”
How different is the stereotypical perception of an Emirati woman compared to the way you’ve grown up?
“I definitely come from a place of privilege because I was lucky enough to have a family that supported me. And to, you know, come from the UAE we are very privileged compared to other nations in the world. So I’m very grateful. But I totally understand the whole idea of stereotypes. I’m one of four girls. And I come from a conservative town so I have heard people say you need a son in your family.
When I went to school in the States, I think a lot of people kind of expected less of me, because I came from the Middle East. It’s just funny that people have these ideas when I shared the classroom with them, they still thought I couldn’t speak English. So I think a lot of Emirati women take it as a challenge to prove themselves.
So the stereotypes aren’t necessarily true. And I think we are doing a very great job now with centering women in conversations and providing them platforms like EWA to shine, to be representation for young girls and boys. You know, I can be like them.”
Did you find there were a sufficient number of female Emirati role models growing up?
“Because of the kind of shows I watched, the books I read, the curriculum we studied, there was no one I could look up to. I could say I like Albert Einstein, and, you know, Newton or other scientists, but I couldn’t name any female ones. Not even any Emirati.
So I think with the UAE vision towards women centering innovation, technology, etc we were able to bring a lot of talent to the light. So I’m very grateful over the years with, you know, women taking on roles in the government, ministers, scientists and engineers. And today, I can open my sister’s science textbook and see women who look like her.”
Since sustainability is a key factor this year, where do you see it playing a role in your inventions?
“Yes, I am very passionate about the environment. As an engineer, it’s very, very important that we are, at least that’s what I was taught in classes. It’s very important to consider the environment when you’re working on a project, we’re constantly told that you don’t want to cause any harm with the projects that you’re building.
As I mentioned earlier, most of my projects are recycled. With lots of my projects, I actually open it up and use the parts again to build other things, in hopes of, you know, lowering the cost but also preserving the environment.”
What about the country’s goals?
“I’m very happy to see that the UAE is shifting towards an economy that is not dependent on oil. We’re shifting into investing in green energy and new research that allows us to build an economy independent from those resources that we’ve depended on for years.
So I think with the COP28 coming up, there’s a golden opportunity to educate our nation on what we need to do in the future. I think a lot of people are kind of worried that we’re going to run out of oil, and there’s nothing to do, but we are in very good hands.”
Any advice for the young Emirati women out there?
“If there’s anything I would like to tell other women is, pursue those dreams that you have. Sometimes it’s the little ideas that we have, that we don’t give value to or dedicate time to, because we think we’re not capable. You know, a lot of women struggle with imposter syndrome, like myself, we think we don’t belong, we feel like no one wants to hear ideas. We’re not qualified enough.
Give it a chance, you know, maybe you want to pursue this talent or this hobby, watch a YouTube video for it. Give it one hour, just try it. And that should be good enough to tell you if you actually love it, and you want to pursue it or not. And I think that’s how inventing started for me.”
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