![]()
by Raynald C Rivera
‘Necessity is the mother of invention.’ This statement uttered by Plato centuries ago still holds true in every sense to young innovator and latest Stars of Science winner Khalid Aboujassoum, the first Qatari to bag the prestigious award in four seasons of the famous reality TV show.
From hundreds of aspiring inventors from across the Pan-Arab world, the Qatari with his invention Tahi (Arabic for Chef) — an automated cooking pot — got the nod from both the jury and the televiewers who had followed the months-long show from the casting phase till the exciting finale night via MBC4.
“It was a moment full of happiness which combines two essential things: first is the feeling of honour, having been the first Qatari to win; second is the feeling of responsibility, as winning something of great prestige raises people’s expectations very high,” said Aboujassoum, in an exclusive interview with The Peninsula.
Sitting in his office at ictQatar’s Business Incubation Center, where he manages ibTECHar, a company specializing in educational technologies which he co-founded after winning the QITCOM innovation competition last year, the young emerging entrepreneur has come a long way in a short period of time with yet another turning point in his life in the form of winning Stars of Science 4.
Necessity
“When I went overseas to pursue my studies, I had to depend on myself: cleaning, doing the laundry, ironing and cooking,” he said.
While in university, he got married, and his first child was born before his graduation.
“I had my wife to help me cook, but since we were both studying and we had our daughter, life became more challenging – managing commitments, submitting papers, doing laundry, babysitting and cooking.”
Since the couple didn’t want to sacrifice the quality of food they ate, they looked for cooking appliances in the market but did not find one that could cook various types of food conveniently and with a high quality.
“It just hit me: why is there no device that can cook for you automatically and conveniently a decently done meal. As an engineer, I thought maybe it’s technically difficult, maybe it can’t be done that’s why nobody has done it.”
He started sketching a possible device, but set it aside to work on till the day when he had the time and opportunity.
The idea was also born out of his need to eat healthy food, as he had been an athlete who had represented Qatar in his younger years.
Mother
Another important factor that inspired the invention was his mother, who ensured the family only ate healthy homemade food every day.
“She would forbid us to have softdrinks at home, preferring fresh juice and homemade meals instead, and encouraged us to eat quality food by explaining the nutritional benefits we get from them,” said Aboujassoum, adding he had grown up in a home without a microwave oven, and highly appreciated homemade food.
Apart from his teachers, his parents played an important role in inspiring him to foray into the world of science and technology when he was in school. When he advanced to high school, his scientific skills were further honed after he became a part of the second batch of Qatar Scientific School.
“The initiative looked for students from all over the country based on performance and focused on math, biology, chemistry, physics and other science subjects.”
After getting his diploma, he went overseas to study computer engineering and engineering management in Canada, a course he chose in response to the demand of the times.
Since childhood, Khalid has been a problem solver who focuses on the practical rather than abstract side of problems.
“I would look not at abstract problems but practical problems we face every day, like how to have a better flow of traffic, which is a big problem in Doha that triggers me to think of a solution, or maybe related to education, which we have been doing in ibTECHar.”
Invention
Khalid’s interest in developing the cooking device was rekindled when he watched last year’s Stars of Science finale.
“I got invited to the finale of Stars of Science last year and saw the amount of support the contestants receive in building their ideas, turning them into tangible products. One of the finalists made an automatic ironing machine, and I thought if it made it to the final, then cooking might also make it.”
Many frowned when Khalid presented his idea at the Proof of Concept stage, thinking it was impossible, which created a shadow of doubt even in his mind, a major challenge he faced during the gruelling competition.
Among the many features of Tahi are pre-programmed recipes to select from. The machine prepares those dishes without requiring a cooking background on the part of the user. After the ingredients are put in their designated places, the machine can start cooking immediately or later, at a preset time.
Tahi was created not just for convenience but also to promote the health and well-being of people at a time when the world is facing an explosion of chronic diseases brought about by poor, unhealthy diets.
“If you look at it from a holistic point of view, Tahi is not just about convenience and automatic cooking. It also saves the nutritional details of each recipe and archives the meals cooked. Assuming that you will eat everything you cook, you will get an idea about your eating habits.”
After a month, a year or two years, it can produce a graph of the person’s eating habits, the quality of food consumed and the nutritional details of the food going into the body. The device can even recommend recipes based on the person’s nutritional needs.
“It will take care of calorie math, which is overwhelming for everyone living in our busy world. A convenient, healthy lifestyle and smart, healthy cooking to bring healthy delicious food, that’s what Tahi is bringing.”
“Lifestyles have been changing. We are in a high-speed lifestyle. Eating has become a leisure rather than an essential part of your being. Chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes and obesity have become rampant. The problem is our eating habits are not helping us but are actually ruining our life and health without our knowing it.”
What Next?
After his historic win, Khalid said it was now that the real work would begin, and at the moment he was negotiating to forge a partnership with Qatar Science and Technology Park to fully develop the prototype and finally make it available in the market.
Khalid is positive that Tahi will make it to the market as everyone he has spoken to likes it and has said they would buy it.
With regard to the Stars of Science, he said Qatar Foundation had done a great job of promoting innovation across the region and in Qatar through the initiative.
“Innovation is not just an initiative, it is an ecosystem. It involves innovators, policymakers, and so on. It is a full ecosystem we really have to strive to build, and I think it’s in the making and we have done a great job laying down the foundation.”
The Peninsula
