Qatar Scientists Develop AI That Designs Like Nature

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University has launched a new AI-powered platform called ThinQa, that converts biological research and principles into 3D-printable prototypes in minutes.

“ThinQa is a research and development AI platform that combines biological research with advanced manufacturing capabilities to deliver unprecedented innovation, speed and accuracy. It generates biomimicry solutions using cutting-edge AI and transforms months of research into actionable prototypes in minutes,” Dr El Tayeb Bentria, scientist at QEERI told Gulf Times in an exclusive interview.

The platform uses a multi-agent AI system to analyse natural phenomena and rapidly generate manufacturable 3D designs based on biomimicry principles.

“The platform is in its pilot phase and accessible online, with a full launch expected within a year. Patents have been submitted, and plans are underway to create a spinout. ThinQa is also expected to have a STEM-focused version to help students quickly develop 3D prototypes for projects,” disclosed Dr Bentria.

According to the researcher, ThinQa can dramatically speed up research and prototyping by transforming biomimicry research into ready-to-print models. He explained:“It is particularly focused on material science and engineering, though it can also be applied to architecture and design. Researchers are currently testing prototypes, including improved CO2 capture filters designed using nature-inspired shapes to enhance performance.”

Dr Bentria said that the new platform can help understand the nature and environment in Qatar in a better fashion.

“If you look here in Qatar, you see that plants and animals have adapted to the heat and scarcity of water over thousands of years. They have developed a technique that can be learnt and used in enhancing our technologies. So usually the problem is translating these techniques into feasible prototypes. And now we think ThinQa will help in this regard with AI as the translator,” he continued.

Dr Bentria said ThinQa uses advanced models to analyse natural phenomena and translate biological principles into innovative design solutions.“It generates precise, manufacturable 3D models optimised for immediate printing and testing. This innovation has been grounded with peer-reviewed research and has validated biomimicry principles for reliable results,” he noted.

Dr Bentria said the platform can understand limitations and advantages and translate them into a 3D design.“So the platform uses a multi-agentic AI system that reads all the user input, reads more about scientific papers, and then generates a script-based tool. When you run it using ThinQa, it generates a 3D prototype,” he underlined.

“One of the areas that we are working on is the CO2 capture filters. We are trying actually to optimise the existing one, using the rules of biomimicry to maximise the surface area, or to make the shapes capture more CO2. The filter has a certain design, but using biomimicry, you can enhance its capabilities,” he pointed out.

Dr Bentria said the platform is designed to be used for students too.“We are planning also to have a STEM-based version, where students, actually high school students, can do their projects and get printable 3D prototypes in hours, instead of spending much time building them by hand,” he said.

“This is in the piloting stage. I think it will take less than a year to launch the full version of the platform. We are testing the efficiency of the results that are generated and once it is done, this will be launched in full scale. We have filed for the patents and hopefully the platform will be launched before the end of this year,” Dr Bentria added.

QEERI Hamad Bin Khalifa University ThinQa

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