The UAE's meteoric rise in space exploration has been hailed by the world, especially after the country's first ever Mars mission managed to enter the red planet's orbit this year. Homegrown satellites and plans for sending a robot to the moon have also inspired local talent and promise to unlock their potential.

Young innovators have made their presence felt in the Emirates with inventions like an AI-powered drone for rescue ops, and a robo-doc for schools created by students. The latest addition to this list of UAE's whizkids, is an eight-year-old from Dubai who has outdone grownups, with her design for a high-tech chair to be used on Mars.

The schoolgirl has been lauded for an armchair which will levitate, and float above the red globe's volcanic surface using boosters. The concept which reflects her practical understanding of the Martian environment at a young age, will also have temperature controlled seating and bulletproof glass to counter ash.

A budding tech designer, Krisha Vaidhya has been awarded a miniature 3D-printed prototype of her futuristic product, which helped her win a competition conducted by a design institute. She was able to participate alongside 250 adults, after organisers granted special permission thanks to her zeal for innovation.

Krisha's invention for life on Mars, is in line with UAE's aspirations to build a city on the red planet by the next century. The country has even started building a model of the space colony in the desert, to simulate life on the red globe.

Supported by increased access to e-learning and latest tech in the Emirates, children from the country have been making waves globally. A seven-year-old from Abu Dhabi, who became the youngest to get an AI internship at Oxford, was one of them.

Smart city Dubai has also inspired teenagers to achieve feats like recycling tons of e-waste through a social media initiative.

The country which has recently powered up its cosmic ambitions with a second batch of astronauts, is also investing in nurturing local tech talent at the world's first AI university.