Five innovative apps from Qatar Foundation and QSTP

A common denominator between the researchers, faculty, and innovators within the Qatar Foundation (QF) ecosystem is that each is inspired by the creation of new knowledge. While the work of QF’s partner university graduates, its researchers, and Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) tenants can sometimes be confined to the margins of research papers and behind-closed-doors demonstrations, that isn’t always the case. With that in mind, we’ve collected five unique apps that either originated or reached fruition within the environment of QF:

10 Moons

10 Moons is Qatar’s first inhouse-developed bi-lingual maternity mobile app, and helps expectant mothers track their pregnancy journey and provides guidance on fetal development, nutrition advice, as well as information related to their care at Sidra Medicine. The app was developed by the QF member’s Center for Medical Innovation, Software and Technology, and launched under Sidra’s previously-profiled Imagine initiative. In addition to week-by-week info and educational content for expectant mothers, patients can use the app to request ultrasound pictures of their baby’s 3D scans.

Available on the iOS App Store and Google Play

BrailleEasy

Developed by researchers at Qatar Computing Research Institute, one of Hamad bin Khalifa University’s three national research institutes, BrailleEasy is a tailored, one-handed Braille keyboard. The app was developed in close collaboration with the Qatar Social and Cultural Center for the Blind, Al Noor Institute for the Blind, and MADA (the Qatar Assistive Technology Center). A unique element of BrailleEasy is that it can be used by both Arabic and English-speaking users, and is designed to combine the comfort of one-handed typing with the speed of two-handed Braille-like typing.

Available on the iOS App Store

Meddy

With more than 2,000 doctors featured on Meddy, what began as a concept between two Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar students has evolved to become a popular app and the largest online physicians network in Qatar. Meddy is the brainchild of Haris Aghadi and Abdulla Al Khenji, both graduates of the QF partner university, and allows users to find and book appointments with doctors while filtering them by location, gender, clinic, specialization, and country of education. Its co-founders are now based at QSTP.

Available on the iOS App Store and Google Play

Mikitsune

Mikitsune is the QSTP tenant behind a self-titled app targeted at parents in the Arabian Gulf and MENA region, allowing users to filter and search for local activities that fit their child’s age, interests, and schedule. Each activity within the app has been custom-picked by Mikitsune, and the service allows parents to share their planned activities with family and friends.

Available on the iOS App Store

Qatari Phrasebook

Accessibility and ease of use were also the defining factors in the development of the Qatari Phrasebook app of Hany Fazza, an Arabic language Instructor at Georgetown University in Qatar, a QF partner university. The app specifically focuses on the dialect spoken in Qatar and provides users with both the written and spoken form of more than 1,500 common Arabic words and phrases, as well as pronunciation tips. For Fazza, the app is intended to be an accessible, easy alternative for expatriates in Qatar who wanted to take the first steps toward learning conversational Arabic.

Available on the iOS App Store and Google Play