Qatar high school students win ITEX Gold Medal in Kuala Lumpur – The Peninsula

Qatar high school students win ITEX Gold Medal in Kuala Lumpur – The Peninsula

Doha: A team of high school student researchers have won the Gold Medal in the 2021 International Invention, Innovation & Technology Exhibition (ITEX) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.


Abdulrahman Alsulaiti and Ibrahim Buhendi from the Qatar Science and Technology Secondary School for Boys won their award for their invention, “High-SCAN,” an innovative, lightweight modular robot powered through a guided quadcopter propulsion system to increase its locomotion system efficiency as it inspects oil and gas pipelines for damage.


The students were mentored by Dr Mohamed Gharib from the Office of Advancement at the Texas A&M University at Qatar, a Qatar Foundation partner university. 


Oil and gas pipes are constructed from ferrous materials and are prone to cracks and corrosion. There are high chances of a major failure occurring at any time in the vast network of pipelines spread through various environments and terrains. These failures can endanger populations, damage the environment, and disrupt the supply of oil, gas, and other materials which has far-reaching consequences for various industries, and commercial and economic activities. Scheduled preventive inspections and maintenance visits are necessary to avoid any incident and ensure smooth supply operations. The main challenges are how to carry the inspection system for long distances with