Students from Kuwait University Register a New Patent Which Facilitates the Process of Luggage Claim at Airports

Kuwait University, through the Office of Patents and Intellectual Property at the Office of Vice President for Research, registered a patent for an invention entitled "Secure Baggage Claim System" at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The team is led by Dr. Abdullah Al-Azmi, faculty member at the College of Engineering and Petroleum – Department of Electrical Engineering, with his students Batoul Abdul Hameed Saleh, Bodour Faleh Al-Mutairi, and Fatima Mubarak Muhammad.

In an inspiring step that reflects student creativity, the team of students devised a way to claim luggage from airports which saves time and effort, especially after the hassle of a travel trip, as the new system offers security through avoiding obstacles related to loss or theft at airports.

The "Secure Baggage Claim System" is designed to facilitate and speed up the process of receiving baggage at the airport, as the system stores them in a vertical device to keep them safe from mix-up and theft, through which the traveler can claim all his luggage at once by simply scanning the card.

This process consists of several stages, first, the loading stage, which consists of the movement of the bags and the IR Sensor that moves the bag when it senses its presence to the storage stage, during which the bags are sorted according to their owners. Second, the bags that belong to the same individual or family are stored in a single compartment. This process is done using RFID tags and RFID Reader. Third, the baggage claim stage, which is when the traveler arrives and scans the card, initiating the movement of his compartment to the baggage claim area for him to receive his luggage.

In this occasion, the Patents Office at Kuwait University honored Dr. Abdullah Al-Azmi and the group of students, under the patronage of Acting President of Kuwait University Prof. Meshari Al-Harbi, who asserted the importance of enabling students to develop their creative capabilities, pointing out the role of Kuwait University through the Research Sector in providing the support to creatives and facilitating the process of obtaining registered patents. He also  encouraged them to achieve scientific excellence at Kuwait University.

In his turn, Prof. Othman Al-Khudir, Acting Vice President for Research, emphasized the importance of research institutions as a vital supporter to students. He also pointed out that the Research Sector plays a major role in encouraging students to obtain patents, as well as strengthening their creative spirit. He explained that having a supportive environment and interacting with researchers contributes to the development of entrepreneurial ideas. Prof. Al-Khudir also emphasized the importance of understanding the process of innovation and the development of creative projects by students.

The role which the Research Sector plays is highlighted in enhancing students skills through communication with the academic world, which in turn enhances the level of creativity and adds value to the Society as well as the economy.

Dr. Haneen Al-Ghabra, Assistant Vice President for External Research Collaboration and Consultation, explained the importance of this invention as a practical solution which improves service quality at airports, which in turn offers a better experience to travelers and saves both time and effort. It is expected that this invention will have a positive impact on the field of travel and tourism, as enhancing the process of baggage claim is considered a vital step towards bettering the travel experience generally.