The Emirates’ DIY creators come together for Innovator 2014 in Abu Dhabi

Afshan Ahmed meets four of the UAE’s finest inventive minds and talks to them about their DIY creations ahead of the launch of the new Innovator event in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Omar Al Tameemi with his head-turning Harley-Davidson. Antonie Robertson / The National

What can you do with a broken or underused gadget? Many people these days would simply trash it and buy a replacement. But a do-it-yourselfer would cringe at the thought – then list a dozen projects to put the parts to good use. It’s their subtle protest against consumerism – and, until a few years back, their talent was hidden away in their apartments and garages.

But as open-source platforms and social networking boost connectivity, their parallel, do-it-yourself culture is rapidly going mainstream. This community of self-reliant individuals, for whom buying is not the only option and who prefer spending hours building, tinkering and fixing their own items, fall into a new category: the professional amateur. The movement was acknowledged by the US government this year when the White House announced its first official Maker Faire, a convention for creators and innovators initiated by Make magazine in California in 2006. One hundred fairs were held around the world in 2013, attracting millions of ­DIYers.

Now, the UAE is ready to catch the wave, with the capital hosting Innovator 2014 this weekend, the first such fair in the country. It will bring together 200 creators and showcase their craftsmanship. Ahead of this meetup on Saturday, which has been organised by the Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee, DIYers discuss the challenges they face and their contribution to the hands-on and personalised industry.

The networking opportunity

In 2007, the Institute for the Future, a California think tank, predicted an Industrial Revolution in reverse, where “rapid fabrication will turn every home into a personal, flexible factory”.

For Ismael Touq, that future has arrived. The 29-year-old engineering graduate from Bahrain has converted the balcony of his one-bedroom apartment into a workshop and fitted it with a computer, CNC router (a computer-controlled cutting machine) and other equipment to develop hardware projects. He is creating a 3-D printer from scratch, with guidance from online ­tutorials.

“This is where the magic happens,” says the Dubai resident about the small, soundproof enclosure. “Here, basically, I draw up the parts on a CAD software and then construct them in the CNC router.

“I could have bought a very good 3-D printer for 5 per cent of the amount I’ve spent so far, but I didn’t want to. I’ve never used one before or seen one working. I wanted to learn everything about it and build it myself.”

Touq says there has always been a DIY culture in the UAE, but creators have been “hiding”. “For someone to create something outside university and work, let’s just say there is no market for that.

“If it is not commercial, there is no real support here for people who do things out of passion.”

He says an initiative such as Innovator 2014 helps address that problem. “It is an invitation to meet other like-minded people and get something going,” he says.

The UAE does not have machine shops, where DIY enthusiasts can use heavy equipment to bring projects to fruition for a small fee.

Touq, who works as a marketing professional, has made a small attempt to create such a public workshop to collaborate with ­others.

“I know a French guy who likes to learn how to programme electronic circuits and I teach him that. In return he cooks me a French dish,” he laughs.

“People want to build, but nobody has access to large-scale machines and equipment. So people come here with different skills and we share the space.”

Touq believes in the concept of open source and in the easy availability of information.

“I am also documenting my projects,” he says. “I make videos of every step – drilling, designing, cutting – the point being that I want everyone to be able to build their own 3-D printer with ease.”

He says if equipment can be hired and if tested designs are available online, it could be cheaper to build your own printer.

Making an original

Growing up, Omar Al Tameemi watched his father tweaking and modifying cars and bikes at home.

“I’d come back from school and watch them. Doing that was a dream,” says the Emirati, who works at Etisalat.

Al Tameemi didn’t become a mechanical engineer, but that didn’t stop him from learning all about machines. The owner of a bike-customisation shop in Dubai, he’s a self-taught handyman, who recently won international customisation awards for his golden Harley-Davidson bike.

“I did everything from online tutorials, DVDs, watching others install parts,” says Al Tameemi. “I also took a small courses in the UAE, Germany and the US on welding and other mechanic techniques.”

In 2011, he decided to work with a team to strip down a 2010 Dyna-category Harley and customise it to look like a 1948 model.

“Usually people customise an old bike to look like a new one. We did it the other way – we bought a new bike and turned it into a classic,” he says.

The motorcycle has won a lot of attention in the Middle East and beyond. “When it is parked, people will push on the brakes and can never believe it is gold-plated,” he says.

“If you look closely, even in the paint job I’ve mixed gold dust so that it looks authentic. I didn’t want to paint the whole bike gold because that would look ugly, so I broke it up with red and orange.”

Al Tameemi says that he cut and welded the handlebars himself to look like the old version.

“You need to know, if you want to further your passions. I won’t succeed if I don’t understand the workings of an engine and how to fix it. That why I took some additional courses,” says the MBA graduate.

Al Tameemi is also building a 3.5-metre-long chopper bike with a hydraulic system, where the frame will double up as an air tank and the handlebars will be lower than the fuel tank.

Waste Not, Want Not

The graffiti stencil artist Steffi Bow is always on the lookout for rubbish on the streets, because every piece of scrap is an inspiration for a new clutch bag.

“I’ve always been interested in junk lying around unused,” says the 39-year-old Briton. “The first time I saw a cement bag ripped up on a building site, I was like: ‘Wow, I can make something out of that.’”

After a trip to the local stationery shop to stock up on such basics as Sellotape, scissors, cardboard, buttons and pins, she was ready to make a quirky bag out of a dusty sack. She has since made bags out of restaurant menus, Yellow Pages and newspapers.

Bow is an operational manager at a company that insures satellites and other spacecraft, but takes time out of work to pursue her creative interests. “I have Wednesdays off every week and the weekend to do my art stuff and projects,” she says. “It is nice of my employers to give me time off to do what I love doing, otherwise I’d be sitting there thinking about my art all the time.”

Bow says that she prefers to carry a bag that she has put her own effort into. “It is a very detailed approach to get the dimensions right, ensure there are no wrinkles while securing it with tape. But at the same time it is very de-stressing as well.”

Bow says that she sees a growing interest in crafts and DIY initiatives, but the younger generation should be encouraged to create more.

“My husband and I grew up in the 1970s where we weren’t entertained the whole time. We found ways of doing it. The current generation need to be constantly taken out, to the cinema or to watch TV, and don’t make their own amusement. I just wonder if this will affect their future as it stifles creativity.”

Trial and error

Shikhar Priyadarshi, a 16-year-old school pupil in Dubai, is developing a radio-controlled plane with a team at JSS International School. The plane, which they began designing two months back, will be able to take pictures and videos when airborne. It can also be used for monitoring and surveillance.

He says that taking up DIY projects at an early age enhances the understanding of how things work and leads to better innovations.

“Buying an appliance or machine is not going to help you understand its attributes, but making that machine yourself will help you know more about it,” says Priyadarshi, who has an interest in Arduino animatronics, the science of building humanoid robots.

“I have always been amazed by the idea of creating realistic robots which look and act like real-life objects. I discovered that Arduino can really make the task easier and I also did some research on the wide range of machines that can be made using it.

“Another project I am working on is called The Hand of Frankenstein. The hand is a robot hand that will correspond to the movements of a glove worn by me.”

Awarding innovation

Innovator 2014 will encourage local talent in science and technology by funding two projects that will allow DIYers to further their creative goals. The recipient of the Innovator of the Year award will receive Dh40,000 and the People’s Choice award winner will receive Dh20,000.

There will be special presentations from Tim Davies, who will be displaying Arachnobot – a human-powered giant spider – plus demo sessions by other attendees and music from Hollaphonic featuring Olly Wood and Greg Stainer.

• Innovator 2014 will take place on Saturday from 12.30pm to 8pm at the FGB Arena in Abu Dhabi. Entry is free for the public. For more information, visit www.innovator.ae