Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), one of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU)’s three national research institutes, and ‘Stars of Science’ have invited the public to a talk by one of the four finalists of Qatar Foundation’s flagship ‘edutainment’ reality TV show.
The talk by Dr Abderrahim Bourouis, an Algerian engineer, will take place in the multipurpose room at the HBKU Research Complex, Education City, at 9am tomorrow.
Dr Bourouis will speak to attendees about ‘Wonderkit’, which he has been developing on ‘Stars of Science’. ‘Wonderkit’ is a smart autism shirt that aims to detect, monitor and calm children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who may suffer from extreme anxiety and panic attacks.
Dr Bourouis said, “I am very proud to be showcasing ‘Wonderkit’ as a finalist. My hope is to develop ‘Wonderkit’ for the wearable technologies market and improve the daily lives of families affected by autism – with it now becoming a reality, autistic children and their families will have a great resource.”
QBRI played a key role in furthering the aspiring innovator’s work by granting him Institutional Review Board approval to test his product. Besides providing information on how ‘Wonderkit’ works, the talk will shed light on the prevalence of autism in Qatar and the region.
Individuals from across HBKU’s research institutes, International Brain Research Organisation, Renad Academy, the Qatar Foundation school for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Shafallah Centre for Children with Special Needs, Child Development Centre, and the Step by Step special needs centre in Qatar have been invited to the event.
Dr Omar El-Agnaf, acting executive director at QBRI, said they looked forward to hosting Dr Bourouis for the public talk.