Baraa Al Othman: That phrase is the secret behind my book and my inventions!

"Imagine that after forty years, you have money, a good wife, a house, and children. What is the thing that makes you wake up from sleep to go to it and you are happy?"

This was a phrase that Al-Baraa Al-Othman heard in one of the lectures and it kept ringing in his ears, making him what he is now.. A young man of twenty-four years old, with two inventions, and a book under distribution entitled “Zad Al-Saqqar”, he trained more than a thousand people in the field of invention, and presented many working papers and lectures. In addition, he has 13 book writing projects, and 40 new ideas under research, and he has a serious dream of building an integrated city to care for inventors.

A creative childhood that drew a promising future!

I loved animals and performed my first dissection at the age of 9!

Al-Baraa's childhood was not ordinary, as he grew up in a family that owned poultry farms, under the care of a mother who gave him confidence since childhood, and a father who instilled courage in his heart, bringing him closer to the animal world, and making him an accompanist to veterinarians, so he loved zoology from a young age, and performed his first dissection at the age of nine!

This early experience strengthened Al-Baraa’s desire to learn more about the animal world. He mingled with experts and doctors at an early age and learned the secrets of raising each type of animal, such as falcons, horses, snakes, and others. Most importantly, his father provided him with a library that included most of the animal books available in the Kingdom at that time to satisfy his interests. He also allocated a simple laboratory for him to practice his first experiments in.

At that age, Al-Baraa did not present any invention, but it was a beginning that drew his future, as he finally specialized in the field of veterinary medicine. During his university studies, he was able to present two distinguished inventions, for which he received the Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Award for Scientific Excellence 2010, the bronze medal at the International Innovation Exhibition for Inventors 2010, and fifth place at the Second Scientific Conference for Higher Education Students 2011. He also participated in many competitions and events and received a number of awards and certificates of honor.

Human development courses helped me a lot:  

Despite all the powerful factors that influenced Al-Baraa’s upbringing, he still praises every time the importance of the skill development and self-development courses that helped him define his goals, plan his life, sharpen his resolve, and taught him the mechanism by which he was able to make his decisions and arrange his priorities, in addition to learning the English language, which broadened his horizons and opened up a greater field of knowledge and opportunities for him.

Innovation Exhibition is the "shock" and "big lesson" in my life!  

Al-Baraa had participated in the International Innovation Exhibition organized by Mawhiba in Jeddah in 2010, and won the bronze medal for his invention “ The Toser Nail”, but what he got out of his experience was what he called “the shock” or “the big lesson”. He said about his experience: “Before the exhibition, I was happy with my many inventions, and I thought they were achievements that I could display in exhibitions and win in competitions. However, what I learned from the Innovation Exhibition is that “the invention, if it does not bring you a financial return and is turned into a product, is not an invention”. I even wrote an article after my participation entitled “I feel like I was reborn”. I now admit that I have disavowed all my inventions and I only acknowledge two of them… those from which I was able to gain a financial return and turn them into a real product. As for the rest, I now call them ideas, and I am on my way to working on them to become a real invention that can be produced.” And marketing it.

Innovations of Baraa Al Othman:

1- The Toser nail for repairing bird feathers: This innovation earned Al-Baraa the bronze medal at the Innovation Exhibition 2010. The idea of ​​the innovation revolves around a nail for fixing damaged or broken feathers of birds, instead of the traditional treatment that is done with a needle or a fine stick, because the Toser nail is characterized by its lightness and flexibility, in addition to its ease of installation and manufacture, stability, and low cost. It also does not cause any inflammation to the bird’s feathers, unlike the traditional method, and it can be used more than once.

2- The developed falcon nest: The falcon nest is the place where the falcon stands with the breeder throughout its life. The developed falcon nest is another achievement for Al-Baraa Al-Othman, who won fifth place in the second scientific conference for higher education students in the innovation track. This is due to the fact that his innovation, unlike traditional nests, has changeable heads that are considered cleaner and more comfortable for the bird. There is also a special medical head in cases of injury. In addition, the new product is distinguished by combining two bases to fix the nest on hard or sandy surfaces, and is considered the first model that suits all types of raptors, ensuring its spread among all hobbyists and raptor breeders worldwide.

Five important lessons for inventors:

Al-Baraa Al-Othman says about his experience that it was not easy, nor was it impossible, and that the most important thing he learned from it were four things:

"If you want history to immortalize you, write a book (son), or invent (daughter). These are your children in life who will never die and they are your intercessors after death, God willing."

First: Knowledge and reading books and inventions are the first path to innovation, and the moment of inspiration that everyone talks about will not be useful unless it is supported by knowledge.

Second: Every inventor should know that his invention is important, but it is not the most important invention in life. That is, he should always look at inventions that are similar in idea, learn from them, and listen to the opinions of his critics in order to develop his abilities.

Third: The inventor must not reveal the secrets of his invention to anyone, and must not wait for a surprise from the sky, meaning that he must invent a way to support himself without waiting for the help of others.

Fourth: For the inventor to become a professional inventor, he must develop his skills in human development, management, drawing, languages, and every skill that develops his knowledge.

Fifth, and most importantly: Every inventor must adopt a noble message that helps him to be patient during his journey of invention. As for me, I believed in the following message:

"If you want history to immortalize you, write a book (son), or invent (daughter). These are your children in life who will never die and they are your intercessors after death, God willing."