The ‘smart boat’ that won laurels

A young Saudi man has won an international innovation award for inventing a “smart boat” that can monitor sea pollution.

Abdulaziz bin Mashhoor Al-Shammakhi won the award with 20 young people who were selected from among 700 participants from 40 countries. The contest was organized by the Copenhagen School of Design and Technology, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

Al-Shammakhi, 26, who received a certificate of appreciation from the organizing committee for his design, said he had been interested in physics as a young boy growing up in Al-Salamah Al-Ulya village in the Jazan region.

He went on to graduate from Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah with a degree in physics in 2014. He said that he had been trying his hand at various inventions over the years. The boat runs on solar power and is loaded with technical equipment to monitor the air, surface and environment below the water. The equipment includes sonar communication technology, GPS, and other devices to detect radioactive contamination and other forms of pollution.

Al-Shammakhi was nominated for the contest by Qutoof Al-Riyadah company which supports innovations. The Kingdom had previously participated in the contest in 2013 and 2014.

The awards function was attended by Bertel Haarder, minister of culture of Denmark, Abdullah Al-Asseedan, adviser of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in Denmark, ambassadors, diplomats and businesspeople.

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