Buddy Bear

Teddy bear for children with sensors to measure various medical symptoms; all detected values are sent to an app which provides a holistic overview of the child's health.

Buddy Bear is a teddy bear for children aged 2-9, which includes different sensors to measure different symptoms such as abnormal heart beat pulse rate, high temperature, excess UV radiation in the surroundings, traces of harmful gases such as carbon monoxide and methane, and excess moisture or sweating. All of the values detected from the sensors will be sent to an app which can be accessed by the parents and doctors. If the value does not correspond with the recommended amount, the LED and buzzer will flash on the bear. The way Buddy Bear can measure various symptoms in such a kid-friendly way gives it a high competitive advantage over other healthcare products, and will make it a must-have product for any family. The product has been coded using Arduino in C++ and all sensors are connected to the Arduino Uno board, which has a bluetooth module to transfer data to the application.

Recently, I had the opportunity to spend a few hours in the nurse’s office at my school. I saw kids coming in feeling unwell with tears in their eyes. They were reluctant to let the nurse put the thermometer in their ears, they were reluctant to let the doctor check their heartbeat, they were scared to take any medicine at all. Then I thought to myself, children are scared of all the high-tech machines in the doctor’s office, but can this issue be further applied to any other healthcare problems children face all around the world? Then I soon found my answer - childhood cancer. Upon conducting research, I learned that cancer is the leading cause of death from disease among children both in the UAE and globally, according to the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention. According to the World Health Organization, 300,000 children aged 0 to 19 years old are diagnosed with cancer each year. What I found particularly interesting was that most of these deaths occur when the early symptoms are not identified until it is too late to treat effectively.

Currently the most widely used form of cancer detection for children are scanners, which utilize technologies known as computed and positron emission tomography. However, these scanners are not readily available, which increases the demand for them and makes them extremely expensive. They are also not always safe and kid-friendly, since the radiation used in these scans can have detrimental effects on a child. Therefore, my aim was to create a product that would appeal to children, was readily available, affordable, and kid-friendly, all while being able to provide a holistic medical check up for a child. To conclude, Buddy Bear is not just a soft toy with a bunch of wires and electrical parts. To me, it is a hope for thousands of kids all around the world. And it is my dream to provide these children with a product that could change their lives for the better.

To test this product, I sent out a survey to students and parents from my school that are in the target demographic. Most of the respondents gave the product a 10/10 for usefulness and a 9/10 for aesthetics. I also went back to the nurse’s office at school. I placed my product in the clinic and received a positive response from many kids. I even interviewed the school nurse and doctor. They believed that it was a very innovative product and would be very useful in the nurse’s office at schools. I concluded the testing phase by observing how a child reacted to the bear, and the child found it very easy to interact with the sensors and found the bear to be very appealing.

I have completed a prototype and am now solidifying the business plan. Based on the current model, the growth of Buddy Bear is going to be split into 3 phases. The first phase is going to be working in the B2B channel. This will include partnering with national clinics, hospitals, and medical groups, such as the Saudi German Hospitals Group; introducing the product in the nurse’s office at schools through a large educational group such as GEMS Education; and working with pediatric health care organizations in the UAE, including the Al Jalila Foundation. The second and third phases of our roadmap will revolve around the B2C channel. Buddy Bear will be partnering with global medical device firms, pharmacies, and healthcare organizations, such as Medtronic, to bring the product directly to the target market, which in this case are the parents buying the product for their children. The third phase will be to bring the product to more regions around the world and increase the product line. I have already formed some partnerships with hospitals and medical groups, and am in the process of obtaining a trade license. I have received some seed funding as well.

Buddy Bear includes 6 sensors located on various parts of the bear, all of which are connected to the Arduino Motherboard. I have developed two different prototypes, showing different variations of the bear. One bear displays the values through an app I have coded using MIT App Inventor connected to the board through a bluetooth module, while the other has a LCD screen fixed onto the bear. I have coded the bear using Arduino, in C++ coding language.

The initial total available market while we are still operating in the B2B channel would include primary schools and nurseries, pediatric hospitals, and clinics, equating to a total worldwide market size of 2,400,000 clients. From this total, the serviceable available market, or in this case the UAE market, is estimated at 1,700 clients. However, we would not be able to service this entire market initially. We have estimated that we would be able to approach 25% of this market in our first year, making the serviceable obtainable market at 425 clients. We believe that a reasonable estimate of the number of clients that would say yes to Buddy Bear in the first year is ⅓ of the serviceable obtainable market, at approximately 140 clients. This would make our initial penetration rate at 8.5%. Therefore, in the first year, based on our penetration rate and market size, we are projecting to sell 12 products per month. This would equate to a monthly revenue of 9,000 dirhams and an annual revenue of 108,000 dirhams.

Our goal is to create a product that would appeal to children, is readily available, affordable, and kid-friendly, all while being able to provide a holistic medical check up for a child.

I have created a success criteria outlining various fundamental aspects the product needs to succeed in such as ergonomics, innovation, functionality, and aesthetics. I am evaluating these criteria on a monthly basis myself and asking external people such as potential users and tech experts to evaluate these as well.

The main barrier is the strict trade regulations in the UAE but I am working with the entrepreneurship director at my school to help obtain a trade license for the product as soon as possible. Since I have already received funding, this process is going better than initially expected.

I am extremely passionate about entrepreneurship and innovation. I have achieved first place in the Global Entrepreneurship Challenge and won the F1 in Schools National Finals two times consecutively, providing me with the opportunity to represent the UAE at the World Finals. I have also previously launched two of my own businesses. I am an accomplished debater, having won first place internationally in the World Scholar’s Cup and being appointed the Deputy Secretary General for the international GWA Model United Nations conference. I believe debating is an effective outlet for me to express my perceptions on the world around me and develop my public speaking skills. I always aim to give back to the community, having veritably grown up in this school. I am currently running an entrepreneurship workshop for younger students, organizing an international MUN conference for primary schools, and mentoring the GWA PYP and MYP debate clubs. I am an enthusiastic leader who always tries to support my peers with their endeavors. I am a Secondary Student Council Member, Peer Mentor, the Team Manager for the GWA F1 Team, and the Leader for the GWA Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Social Impact Committee. My unique combination of strategic thinking and creative insight has allowed me to always succeed in my academic endeavors, and represent the school and the UAE in various fields on an international level. I am proud to have the opportunity to represent my peers and voice our opinions through various platforms, to ensure each and every one of us is safe, secure, and successful. My leadership qualities have allowed me to develop my entrepreneurial skills. My effective leadership skills are something which resonates with my peers and enables them to come to me with any concerns or ideas.

LaunchX Course at MIT:
I worked with my team to launch CheckFactor, a web browser extension that utilizes AI to support online shoppers during the pandemic.

Intern for Young Tycoon's Business Challenge:
I had a 6-month internship with the Young Tycoon's Business Challenge which involved assisting with the logistics of the competition, and running online workshops for students globally.

Founder of School Entrepreneurship Workshop:

Lead the mentoring of younger students with their entrepreneurial endeavors through a comprehensive year-long series of workshops, culminating in a pitch presentation to renowned entrepreneurs

F1 in Schools Team Manager:
Lead marketing campaigns and acquisition of sponsors; develop enterprise/engineering portfolios and verbal presentations; delegate responsibilities and monitor deadlines

Model United Nations Secretariat:

Secretary-General for international MUN conference; mentor students in school-wide debate clubs to help them gain greater awareness of global political landscape

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