ABU DHABI // Driving a quad bike in the desert has never been safer, thanks to a new invention by an Emirati aircraft engineer.
Ahmad Majjan, chief executive of MTS Group, created a smart helmet with built-in GPS and telephonic capabilities. It uses a solar system for power.
The helmet, which was on display at the International Exhibition for National Security and Resilience in the capital yesterday, allows the driver to switch on the quad bike’s engine.
Its technological device, which is resistant to sand and water, can also send out a signal for help should the vehicle overturn.
Mr Majjan, 54, said he came up with the idea for the helmet after his son broke his arm while riding a quad bike in the desert four years ago. The boy was 15 at the time.
Mr Majjan, who is from Dubai, has patented the technological device system, which he also adapted for use on the handle of a foldable cane.
“It took me four months to build the system and it’s become a hobby,” he said.
“The handle of the cane allows you to speed-dial two people. It has a light, an emergency alarm and built-in headphones.
“If it falls, it will send a text message to the emergency person with the GPS location, and if there is no answer to the text, it will call the phone.”
Mr Majjan demonstrated his invention at the exhibition, his first time doing so even though he has more than 15 inventions to his name.
Mp3 International, a UAE company, displayed Mr Majjan’s latest invention at the exhibition, and it may produce it for commercial sale in the near future.
Several security and defence companies are displaying their latest products at the exhibition, which ends tomorrow.
The Thales group introduced its SpyRanger system, said to be the world’s most advanced reconnaissance and surveillance mini-drone.
The UAE invested in drones two years ago to patrol its ports and strengthen the security of international ships docked in its harbours.
They are also being used by the Ministry of Labour to help record breaches at building sites.
cmalek@thenational.ae
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
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Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.
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How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
