Since the age of seven, Fatima Al Kaabi’s love of science fed her passion for creativity and innovation. Coming from a family who had a love for and background in STEM, cemented this passion, giving her a foundation to flourish. Through the support of her parents, she was able to nurture her interests, allowing her to hone her talent for invention. By age 10 she had built her first robot that could take pictures. Taking inspiration from the situations and events around her, she has gone on to produce 12 other inventions. This includes a solar charging bag for devices, a robot called the teleporter that records lessons for sick children who are unable to attend school, and a smart steering system that prevents people from texting while driving. Her Innovation has earned her the following accolades:
- Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award For Distinguished Academic Performance (2014)
- Winner Of The UAE Robot Olympics (2014)
- The UAE Pioneer Award As UAE’s Youngest Inventor (2015)
- The Arab Award For The Best 10 Inventors And Innovators Of 2015
- The Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak International Award For Arab Youth (2017)
Despite having achieved so much, Al Kaabi was met with backlash by some for occupying space in STEM as a woman. This, however, did not discourage her. She took her love for science and invention and created platforms and workshops within her community to teach and encourage youth in their pursuits in STEM. This zeal for community growth and engagement has led to her appearing on international and local panels, CSR activities such as Taqeef’s iMatter, talks, and more recently a documentary. At 17, she went on to pursue an undergraduate Computer Engineering program in the US, at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. After this, she hopes to fulfill her ambitions to attain a master’s and Ph.D. in Artificial intelligence. She aims to later start her own AI company and become a Professor in AI.
Fatima Al Kaabi is a reflection of this generation’s commitment to wanting to not only make a name for themselves but to pave the way for others to do the same. With individuals like her at the helm of development and leadership, the future is certainly bound to be bright.
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