Two Syrian Students Display Their Smart Stick Invention at SCS’s Open-Day in Lattakia

The Lattakia branch of the Syrian Computer Society (SCS) has recently held an open-day at the cultural center in Jableh city in Lattakia province with the aim of spreading the Information Technology (IT) culture in different Syrian areas.

Shedding light on the open-day’s activities the Syriatimes e-newspaper met Head of the Lattakia’s branch of the SCS Eng. Mariam Fayoud, who said that the open-day is part of the SCS’s activities in the city of Lattakia and Al-Haffa area. The goal is to communicate with the families in Jableh and introduce to them activities of the SCS, including the training courses it carries out and the clubs it runs to raise up a knowledge and technology-armed generation that is capable of keeping up with up-to-date IT requirements and attaining advanced positions in international competitions.

 She made it clear that the event showcased  more than 15 projects carried out by children , youths and university students at the Lattakia’s branch of the SCS’S clubs of robotics, artificial intelligence as well as modeling and simulation.

Eng. Fayoud indicated that, during the open-day,  a documentary film was screened on the SCS’s  achievements  since its  establishment, a presentation on  the SCS’s clubs and the IT  incubator in addition to a comprehensive explanation of the global competition of  developers and designers in the field of mobile applications.

She stressed that the Lattakia’s branch of the SCS spares no efforts  to encourage youths  to invest all modern technologies in planning their future and enhancing their active contribution to the reconstruction process and building a stronger Syria.

Eng. Fayoud  said the team of the SCS Lattakia branch ranked first in the Arab Championship in Beirut last year, noting preparations for the team’s participation in the global competition of robotics in China for 2019, due to be held at the beginning of next month.

Taking part in the open-day were two sisters: Fatima and Yasmine Al-Smaail, who are fourth year students of the Mechanical and Electric Engineering Faculty- Computer Engineering and Automatic control Department- at Tishreen University and co-founder of  a start-up called “Pine Tech”.  They displayed their invention “the Eye Tech (smart stick) designed to help blind people navigate. Their invention has become a product.

Fatima and Yasmine told Syriatimes e-newspaper that they came to Lattakia province from Homs in 2013 after they had witnessed the most savage and brutal acts carried out against civilians by the terrorists groups and which, of course, left many people disabled. They said that this suffering prompted them to think of a project through which they can employ their scientific knowledge to serve society, adding that they thought of helping blind people, especially the Syrian Arab Army’s soldiers who lost their sight while defending their homeland against terrorists, and they decided to invent a device for this purpose.

Talking about their eye tech product, the two students said it is a high quality developed technology stick for blind people and it is the first of its kind at local and Arab level.

They explained the work mechanism of the eye tech saying that it alarms blind people through giving voice notifications and phrases in Arabic and other languages which can be heard through in-ear headphones or a speaker to make blind people avoid barriers.  The device also lights automatically in dark places, they said.

Fatima and Yasmine pointed out that the eye tech is chargeable and equipped with a remote control that can be used in case the blind person loses the stick through pressing a button so as the blind can hear the stick vibrating and find it.

They underscored the fact that their product has economic and social advantages in terms of achieving the sustainable development goals and has positive impacts on the blind people and society as a whole, as the eye tech stick helps blind people depend on themselves and integrate into society.

The two sisters appreciated highly the keenness of First Lady, Mrs. Asma Al-Assad on encouraging , developing and supporting their creative work . They said that Mrs. Asma Al-Assad is the symbol of patience and strength and the sponsor of development and science.

They indicated that the Lattakia’s branch of the SCS has played a vital role in ensuring the place, the IT incubator and the equipment necessary for manufacturing the eye tech and marketing it.

The two sisters affirmed that the Syrian youths are creative, skilled, talented and ambitious and like many other Syrian youths, they seek taking part effectively in their country’s reconstruction process and raising the name of Syria high at international forums.

It is worth mentioning that Fatima and Yasmine have participated in a number of  IT local  activities and competitions and got advanced positions including in Al-Bassel Exhibition on Creativity and Innovation in Damascus in 2018, in the Top (ten) Outstanding  Youths Persons (TOYP)  competition held  at the level of Syria for the year 2019 and in the Entrepreneurship Academy competition held by the Junior International Chamber (JCI) in cooperation with the Lattakia’s branch of the SCS.

Interviewed by : Rawaa Ghanam