Stars of Science, the edutainment show produced by Qatar Foundation, regularly showcases inventions across multiple disciplines and sectors that help communities in the Arab world. Contestants throughout the history of the show developed inventions that focus on preserving the identity and culture of their respective communities.

Two contestants on the current season of Stars of Science Season 13 are focusing on advancing their communities and assisting in the preservation of Arabic culture.

Omani engineer Marwan Aljahwari aims to improve road safety in Arab communities with his Camel Black Box, designed to transmit Bluetooth signals and alert road users to the proximity of a stray animal. The box not only protects the life of commuters, but it also protects the most iconic creatures in the region – camels.

Marwan Aljahwari, Season 13 inventor of the Camel Black Box
Season 13 contestant Marwan Aljahwari (third, left) creator of the Camel Black Box

With the expansion of urban areas, camels are unpredictably wandering onto desert roads, and becoming an increasing cause of serious vehicle accidents. Aljahwari’s Camel Black Box will give drivers enough time to stop and prevent what may be a deadly accident.

Another contestant, Abderrahmane Khiat from Algeria, meanwhile, developed a diagnostic tool to make snakebite treatment more accessible to rural communities, as it prescribes rapid and adequate guidelines for treatment, avoiding exorbitant diagnostic costs.

Khiat has a PhD in Computer Science and is currently working as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Berlin. He studied the arid terrain and rural environment of the Arab region. His invention is creative and practical and solves a problem in his home country as well as the region. Snakebite victims undergo extensive diagnosis, especially when the snake cannot be seen, or when the species is unknown.

Previous winners

Previous seasons of Stars of Science have also seen many innovations that aim to preserve Arab identity and culture and contribute to the development of local Arab communities.

Season 12 winner Eiman Al-Hamad (third place, Qatar) contributed to protecting the technological advancement of the Arabic language and identity by inventing the first-of-its-kind Arabic Conversation Fraud Detection programme. The programme detects phone fraud in Arabic, with voice and text recognition – a feature widely needed and often brushed aside for the Arabic language. The technology helps fill in a critical gap in privacy protection in the Arab region and preserve the Arabic language and identity.

Fourth place winner of Stars of Science Season 10 and inventor of the organic varnish Lubanium, Salim Al Kaabi.
Stars of Science Season 10 fourth place winner Salim Al Kaabi

Season 10 winner, Chemical Engineer and artist Salim Al Kaabi (fourth place, Oman), struggled with health issues due to contact with varnish – a chemical used to protect oil paintings from external factors. He invented a frankincense-based organic varnish called Lubanium, created from one of Oman’s most traditional materials, Luban – a scented gum resin mostly used as incense in the Gulf region. Al Kaabi developed spray and liquid varnish versions of Lubanium, as well as a soap cleaner for brushes, which were all recently launched in the market at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Stars of Science Season 13

Stars of Science Season 13 airs until 22 October online and on six channels in the region. Long-time juror Professor Fouad Mrad presides over a new crop of young innovators alongside new jury members Dr Buthaina Al Ansari and Stars of Science alumnus and Season 10 winner Dr Walid Albanna.

For a full broadcast guide to Stars of Science Season 13, visit starsofscience.com. Click here to apply to be on Stars of Science Season 14 and earn a chance to win the title of the Arab world’s top innovator.


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