Syrian Engineer Hikmat Jabouli…a success story of invention
“Suffering generates creativity and determination achieves miracles”, said Syrian engineer Hikmat Jabouli, summarizing her academic career and relentless striving to make an internationally recognized scientific achievement.
Engineer Hikmat, a graduate from the Faculty of Medical Engineering at Damascus University, has managed to invent a smart electronic orthosis to help patients with Paraplegia to grip and extend the knee joint by an easily used electronic device that enables them to stand, sit and walk.
She worked relentlessly to invent this device with the aim of helping her younger sister, who was injured in 2015 during the terrorist war on Syria by mortar shell shrapnel in Al-Qusour area in Damascus.
Hikmat’s invention got a patent in 2018 and received WIPO’s golden medal from the World Intellectual Property Organization in Switzerland.
Hikmat is currently participating alongside other inventors from 63 countries in the World Property Day competition, which is based on people’s voting and which will continue until April 22nd.
The inventor stressed the importance of her participation in this competition, pointing out that winning depends on the support of her fellow citizens by voting during the specified period so she can promote Syria globally and provide assistance to as many patients as possible.
According to Hikmat, the invention took three years to be completed and it underwent several changes that developed its performance in order to help the patients move easily.
“I derived my strength from the determination of my younger sister Ghazal. When the device project failed at the beginning, I burst into tears, but Ghazal gave me the strength and determination to try again. She said to me I am here for you, you must try again. We must succeed for me and for everyone who suffers like me,” Hikmat said.
She added that after several attempts, she managed to achieve her dream, hoping that her invention will make a revolution in global medical engineering.
Hamda Mustafa