A team of young engineers have been granted a US patent for their system that allows a car to be driven without using hands.
The car has three levers on the floor that enables the driver to fully control vehicle with the feet – without the need for a steering wheel.
The engineers hope the vehicle will be especially useful for disabled people, and there could also be applications within the military or industrial fields, where it may be necessary to have your hands free to carry equipment and still drive a vehicle.
The UAE University College of Engineering team consisted of 21-year-old Reem Al Marzouqi, a student from the Architectural Engineering Department and the inventor, and her colleagues Hazim Waleed and Husam Haboush.
The project supervisor, Prof Yousif Haik, from the Mechanical Engineering Department, oversaw the creation of the vehicle.
“In the beginning, the idea was to work on a project that has a positive social impact as part of the curriculum,” Ms Al Marzouqi said.
“I often thought about Jessica Cox, the American pilot with special needs. I thought, ‘how can she pilot a plane without both her arms, and how was she able to adapt with her disability?’ This is how I got the idea to help people like Jessica to drive cars. I was able to communicate with Jessica and she told me how difficult it is for her to drive a regular car using her legs and she said she wished there was a car specially designed for people like her that she could drive herself.
“She also expressed her sadness about a complaint filed against her by her neighbor for driving a normal car with her disability which could be risky for others.
“She said that when she drives a normal car with her feet she feels pain in her back and numbness on her toes and she can’t drive for long hours. She wished a solution could be found.”
The patent was filed last year through the Technology Development Committee’s Takamul program, designed to support innovation and streamline the patent process for local inventors.
The vehicle was first showcased at Takamul’s UAE Innovations conference in March this year.
The patent application stated the need for such a device:
“Driving a vehicle currently requires functionalization of both arms and one or more feet. The mobility of people with physical disabilities, such as with upper-extremity disabilities, is hindered by the lack of proper devices that utilize other methods of controlling the maneuverability of vehicles.
“Thus, a need exists for vehicle control systems that are more accommodating to drivers with upper extremity disabilities.”
Prof Reyadh Almehaideb, deputy vice chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies, said: “The invention, which student Reem Al Marzouqi came up with, is evidence of the attention the university gives to scientific research and to motivating students’ creativity. This special car is a successful future project for the faculty of engineering students who, with their efforts and perseverance, were able to translate a concept into tangible reality that responds to the needs of a considerable segment of society – locally and globally.
“This US patent from one of the leading patenting bodies in the world is proof and only proves the project’s importance.
“Work is under way to get similar patents from Japan, China and the European Union for the project.”
