‘Robotics need more support’
Manama : More initiatives are needed to help inventors develop their ideas, an award-winning Bahraini inventor has said.
“We could help the economy grow, but needs more support from the government,” said Tasneem Yousif.
She said that inventors who work on hardware and robotics are having a hard time developing their ideas mainly because of the lack of financial support. “I hope there will be more centres such a laboratory or incubators to help inventors.”
Bahrain, Yousif said, have many schemes to support startups especially in the field of technology. “So why not have a similar support mechanism in robotics,” she questioned.
Citing the progress achieved by the United Arab Emirates in the sectors, she said that the UAE has “created many robotic systems, Bahrain could follow suit.”
“I hope the government will encourage the people, especially students to take up innovation.
“There is no shortage of talents or ideas, but those ideas never come to life thanks to the lack of support. So we should invest in them,” she stressed.
Tasneem Yousif also rejected the popular notion that robotics requires huge capital. “My whole project cost around BD200,” she said adding: “In the long run the investment will be worth it because when you do manufacturing here you will save more money because you are not reliant on imports.”
“Also, it is a wonderful thing to have something made in Bahrain,” she added.
She, however, stressed that there should be financial support as well as more mentoring to guide the talents. “We do not have a centre or an incubator where people can go to develop their ideas or have access to experts who can mentor them.”
Acknowledging the part of Tamkeen and other initiatives in supporting and mentoring Bahraini talents, she pointed out that what we need is a more “specialised solution for robotics.”
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