The Cool Inventor

Bahraini inventor Mahmood Ali Al Aradi has created an ecofriendly, mini-fridge which he hopes will offer an essential aid to young people suffering from diabetes.

After a year of research about the disease, the father-of-two from Sanad formed a fun-looking lunch box for children to feel more comfortable carrying insulin.

The idea came to the 38-year-old after chatting with an old high school friend about his diabetic son.

Mahmood, a warehouse controller at APM Terminal Bahrain, said: “He explained how his child had struggled with the disease. It’s especially hard for parents as they have to watch their children cope with this condition.

“My friend’s son is an adult now with a child of his own who also happens to be diabetic. I can’t imagine what his child must be thinking or feeling and my heart ached for the little boy. I thought there must be something we can do to make things a little more tolerable, if not easier.

“That’s when I thought of inventing a mini-fridge system. I wanted to help children with this condition by making the medicine and carrying the needles child-friendly by placing them in a fun-looking box.

“That way the kid can build a bond or form a relationship with it. At the end of the day, the child will be carrying this box around everywhere because he or she will have this disease for the rest of his or her life.”

Diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases in which sufferers have high blood glucose (blood sugar) either because insulin production is inadequate or because the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin. Studies have shown that three or four injections of insulin a day give the best blood glucose control and can prevent or delay the eye, kidney and nerve damage caused by diabetes.

Needle technology for insulin injection has become much better in recent years, meaning that the injection process, although not painfree, does not hurt as much as it used to. However, many patients still find injecting insulin to manage their diabetes an unpleasant process. It must also be noted that extreme cold or heat can spoil insulin.

With all this in mind, Mahmood set out to create the fridge which he called the Insulin USB medical fridge or ‘Smart Fridge’.

After numerous experiments using door knobs, spice containers and even aluminium from frying pans, Mahmood put together a little container that could keep insulin cool using a USB cable. He even added magnets to the front of the fridge to make it more fun so that the kids could play with it as well.

His wife Eman, 30, who works at Zain telecom, said: “When my husband puts his mind to something he gives it his all. He has always been good with his hands, especially when it comes to electrical stuff.

“He turned one of the bedrooms into his workshop and destroyed many of my frying pans during his experiments to make his dream of helping children with diabetes a reality!

“He often used items he found around the house. After I don’t know how many experiments, broken frying pans and other items, he finally formed the insulin USB fridge. Now children can carry their insulin and injections confidently with a box they can play with as well. Also, the fridge can charge a phone.”

The fridge can maintain cool temperatures between 12 degrees and 16 degrees Celsius, which Mahmood believes is an ideal temperature needed for the medication.

Bottles of insulin, either open or unopened, generally last for one month when stored at room temperature. If stored in a refrigerator, unopened bottles are good until the expiration date printed on the bottle.

He is currently working on patenting his product which he branded as A4 and plans on promoting it to pharmaceuticals, hospitals and other companies to distribute and market. Mahmood also added that the mini-fridges will be made affordable for families struggling financially and that this was just the beginning of his bid to make a positive difference. Mahmood said: “I’m not in this to make money. I want to help my community in any way I can.”

There are two types of diabetes.

Type 1 happens when the immune system destroys cells in the pancreas called beta cells. They’re the ones that make insulin, which is a hormone that helps move sugar into the body’s tissues. Cells use it as fuel.

Type 2 diabetes is similar to type 1, except the immune system doesn’t destroy beta cells. They’re wiped out by something-else, like a disease or an injury to the pancreas. Type 1 diabetes can be controlled through the use of insulin, dietary changes and exercise while Type 2 can often be managed with noninsulin medications, insulin, weight reduction, or dietary changes. Bahrain is one of the 19 countries and territories of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) MENA region.

According to IDF, which was formed to promote diabetes care, prevention and a cure worldwide, 415 million people have diabetes in the world and more than 35.4 million people suffer from it in the MENA region. They fear that by 2040 this will rise to 72.1 million.

In 2015 there were 154,300 recorded cases of diabetes in Bahrain. In April of this year, Ministry of Health Undersecretary Dr Ayesha Mubarak Bu Enq said that the rate of diabetic incidences in adults above the age of 20 has reached about 14.3 per cent of the population and may reach more than 20 per cent.

Statistics also indicated that the annual rate of Type 1 diabetes in children had increased in Bahrain. Mahmood says he is ‘full of ideas’. “I’m already working on inventing a robot that has the mannerisms of a traditional Arab and can do helpful things,” he added.

“I’m also working on a fridge for wheelchairs that can charge an electric wheelchair as well as keep whatever the users want cool.” Mahmood also created a miniature racing car using an old flashlight. It looks like a race car and can keep canned and bottled drinks cool.

He hopes that it will be snapped up by organisations promoting the annual Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix and the circuit to use as giveaways. He also plans to present one to Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, who had the vision and determination to turn the Bahrain International Circuit dream into reality.

Although Mahmood loved building and designing since he was a child, his passion was reignited as an adult after he helped his son, Ali, design an electric crane for a school project. Ali, now in Grade 2 at the Modern Knowledge School, needed to make something using recycled items.

The crane was created using Lego pieces, fish reels and hooks and a remote control from an electric car. It could carry two kilos worth of weight and the project won first prize.