International Shia News Agency

The $300 prayer mat with NASA-certified technology

SHAFAQNA – Nader Sabry, a space tech entrepreneur, mentor, leading voice on meeting Muslim consumer needs through innovation, and a passionate advocate for inspiring youth to embrace space-preneurship through the Get2space.com initiative in partnership with the US Space Foundation, says success as an innovator is defined by the success of the product in a defined market.

The sole innovation leader in a $2 trillion lifestyle market within the Islamic economy for his invention of TIMEZ5 prayer mat, Sabry, a Canadian by birth to parents of Arab Muslim heritage, and GIES Innovation award winner from Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, underscored that an innovator is a person or an organization who is one of the first to introduce something new or something better than before in the market.

And his TIMEZ5 prayer mat is the world’s first physiological prayer mat whose components are derived from space technology and designed with precision.  “It successfully helped people with knee and joint pain, fatigue, body stiffness, low energy, and supporting muscular skeletal structure of the body,” he said.

His TIMEZ5 company has become one of the few innovation companies operating in the Muslim wellness and lifestyle sector.  “We are helping shape and lead a new generation of Muslim innovators,” he noted, adding that as a Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid awardee, “I was also invited to discuss innovation and entrepreneurship on an exclusive panel of game changers across the whole global Islamic economy.”

He further said TIMEZ5 as a company has now become the 43rd company in NASA history to become a certified space technology company.  “That also made us the first, Muslim innovation company to ever been recognized and work with NASA.”

Excerpts from the interview follow:

Could your invention of TIMEZ5 prayer mat be regarded as sheer luck, or have you painstakingly done some research and trial and errors of the product? For how long? TIMEZ5 prayer mat was developed after years of R&D and an in-depth research into the Muslim market. I was inspired after seeing an old man trying to pray in physical pain. The man had a difficult time fulfilling his religious obligations due to the full-body motions involved in prayer. After conducting years of research, we discovered that many Muslims suffer knee pains and joint problems which prevent them from performing their prayers. After five 5 years of R&D, I finally was able to create a product to help the Muslim elderly in their worship; however it also supports many other groups from desk based employees to athletes in their post injury rehabilitation.

As an innovator, what motivated you to come up with this novel product, and not something else?  Why prayer mat? I was inspired after seeing an old man trying to pray in physical pain. Therefore I was motivated to use the link space technology, a rich Muslim heritage of innovation and modern design and technology to tackle to Muslim consumers. We are currently conducting more research to tackle the needs of the Muslim community focusing on Muslim physiology, and TIMEZ5 prayer mat is only the first of our series of innovative products.

Is your quest for this innovation motivated by economic reward knowing that the product has already a predetermined market? Our innovation has changed many peoples lives to help get them closer to Allah and their own spiritually wellness.  Our objective is to use innovation through space technology to make the lives of Muslims better and since our entry into the market, we have been supported by a wide audience.

What is the price of the mat? Don’t you think it is expensive considering that the product has a spiritual/religious connotation? The price of the prayer mat is $300, this is due to the very comprehensive process of manufacturing and technology put into the production of TIMEZ5 physiological prayer mat. TIMEZ5 physiological prayer mat is not a conventional prayer mat, it’s made from components that are derived from space technology and designed with precision; it successfully helped people with knee and joint pain, fatigue, body stiffness, low energy, and supporting muscular skeletal structure of the body.   TIMEZ5 physiological prayer mat supports every posture while providing relief from years of incorrect and unnatural positions. The mat adapts to your body, relieving pressure and stiffness and helps boost your energy. Effective pressure relief and body support increase blood circulation thereby improving mental and physical focus. The prayer mat is made of heat resistance technology, which helps in fighting off bacteria and fungi. Safety and wellbeing is also a major priority and hence the prayer mat comes with an anti – slip base which helps keep stable and maintain balance. It’s important to remember that the TIMEZ5 physiological prayer mat is a medical device.

Do you intend to put up a factory in Saudi Arabia or in any neighboring GCC country to reach out to the core of the target market? Today we sell in 35 countries globally and have thousands of customers.  We cover major markets were we have had great success like the US, Canada, France, UK and of course the GCC. Our manufacturing facilities are in Canada at this stage but no plans for a Middle East production facility as of yet.

Do you think users of the prayer mat would care or pay special attention to the quality of mat they are using, especially in these days of economic difficulties? Of course, many Muslim consumers have been victimized by poor quality standard products which only undermines their level of intelligence.   Many Muslim consumers globally want to consumer quality innovation products as they would in Western countries but within the values and principles of their own belief system.  I think many people are becoming health conscious and aware of their physical needs. 52% of Muslims encounter knee pain, not due to prayer but due to poor ergonomic environments and lifestyle habits, therefore, seeing the health benefits that the TIMEZ5 prayer mat can bring to your health will encourage consumers to use a healthy alternative that can protect their knees, reduce pain, improve posture and boost energy whilst protecting their respiratory system.

What five compelling reasons will you give why TIMEZ5 prayer mat should be used instead of the common, run-of-the-mill kind? Overall the TIMEZ5 physiological prayer mat helps relieve pain, improve posture and boost energy.  
Five benefits of using TIMEZ5 prayer mat: 1. Better posture, better performance: Cradles every move and supports every posture, providing relief from years of incorrect and unnatural positions reinforced by poor ergonomic environments.

2. Optimum pressure & stiffness relief: The mat adapts to your body, relieving pressure on your feet, heels, ankles, knees, hips and lower back – whether standing, bending, kneeling or prostrating.

3. Pump up the energy: Your energy is boosted when pressure is reduced and support is induced. Effective pressure relief and body support increase blood circulation thereby improving mental and physical focus.

4. Soft, cool and hygienic: A soft and comfortable surface that keeps you cool with its heat resistance technology while its antimicrobial coding fights off bacteria and fungi.

5. Keep stable, keep balanced: Your safety and wellbeing is our priority. With our anti-slip base you will not shift or slip during prayer, even on hard surfaces like marble.

What degree of strategic advantage does this innovation effort provide? Do you think the TIMEZ5 prayer mat, as it is right now, requires advancement or further modifications? Our adoption and penetration levels are very high.  We work closely with the medical community globally as a medical device helping reach patients with issues that prevent the prayer process like knee replacements, sports injuries and arthritis.  Our R&D division works closely as well in further developments with our medical expert including our internal medical team in improving our application.

What’s your next plan after this “success” as an innovator? We have been very successful so far and several new innovations are in development at the moment to help enhance Muslim lifestyle challenges.  This coming year we will be implementing our Muslim physiology workshop due to popular demand in more countries, which is run by our medical team in helping educate Muslims about physiological issues unique to them and how to overcome them to improve prayer.

Why do you say that your company is NASA space certified technology company? What are the requirements and qualities of a company to be certified as one?

We are certified by NASA and have been working with NASA’s technology transfer program for many years in using space technology and today NASA is testing our technologies as well for future space applications beyond what we have accomplished today.

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