They can fly, crawl and swim. One has flown around the summit of Everest, while another can lurk at the bottom of the sea for up to two months.
All of them have two things in common. They operate without a human on board, and can be seen at the Unmanned Systems Exhibition and Conference (UMEX) at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre until Tuesday.
The three-day event was opened on Sunday by Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, with more than 100 exhibitors.
The first day saw deals worth Dh291.6 million signed, including for for nearly Dh72.5m by Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investments Company.
On display was the latest cutting edge technology from the world of drones and unmanned vehicles – quite literally in the case of the Croatian built MV-10, a mine-clearing vehicle which features a massive pincer-like grab and a protective shield made of 'Hardox-450'.
The technology of unmanned vehicles - and the biggest demand - comes largely from the military and defence industries, where it offers the prospect of missions and even combat without the risk of human causalities.
Inevitably, the names of some of the machines on display reflect the task they can carry out.
The Fantom by Ukrinmash of Ukraine, is a six-wheeled vehicle that comes with the option of either 7.62 or 12.7mm machine gun.
The Fantom 2 can be equipped with a rocket launcher, while the company’s range of aerial drones include the Valkerie and Commandor.
Rather less threatening was the Chinese company Harry Sky Dream which designs a range of drones for aerial photography and mapping.
The largest drone on display was the massive Hammerhead from Italy’s Piaggo, with a maximum range of 16 hours, and adapted from an executive turboprop with a capacity for nine passengers.
Two years ago it was reported that the UAE had signed a US$346 million deal to buy eight of the Hammerhead unmanned aerial vehicles.
Almost at the other end of the scale is the Russian-made Skat 640 drone, which holds the altitude record for an aircraft under one tonne after circling the summit of Everest last year, and returning with the video to prove it.
A number of UAE companies are also entering the market.
Al Marakeb of Sharjah is promoting a range of technology that allows the conversion of any boat to an unmanned surface vessel, with both civilian and military use.
Abu Dhabi-based Emirates Advanced Research and Technology is a research and development company whose designs include the Seaexplorer, described as an “underwater glider” with a battery endurance of two months and an operating depth of 700 metres.
The Seaexplorer can be used for search and rescue, including recovering black boxes from crashed aircraft, and for anti-submarine warfare.
Not all the devices at Umex 2018 come with a multi-million dirham price tag. A team of young women from the Higher Colleges of Technology in Sharjah is proudly displaying their autonomous firefighting robot.
Designed by Marian Safar, Mathaa Khalfin and Hajar Al Zaroui, the device can be controlled using an app, directing a jet of water at oil and chemical fires. It has already been tested successfully with a view to producing it commercially.
“We wanted to keep firemen safe and sound,” said Ms Safar.
Emirates Technology and Innovation Centre, part of Khalifa University of Science and Technology, was set up in 2014 to develop and encourage local talent.
It aims to help graduates work in industry, including autonomous systems. A team from ETiC is already preparing its entry for the Mohammed Bin Zayed International Robotic Challenge, described as a 'triathlon' for drones and which will take place next in 2019.
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Read more:
UAE drone users must register themselves and their device under strict new rules
Online drone registration system launched
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Entrants will have to use unmanned aerial vehicles to complete three tasks, including building a structure with bricks, capturing a flying drone and fighting a high rise fire.
For a team of final year students at Al Ain University, the challenge is to find a way for wireless recharging of electric vehicles.
Ibrahim Bahloul, Mohammed Al Badarneh and Ahmed Zayed have already successfully tested a working model of an autonomous vehicle which can position itself over a recharging station hidden under the track.
“We want to make it easier to recharge your electric vehicle” said Mr Zayed. “You could do it at home or at the mall.”
One day, the team thinks, it will be possible for an electric vehicle to charge itself wirelessly even when moving. As recent graduates though, they have a new challenge – to find jobs.
UMEX continues on Monday and Tuesday.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Revival
Eminem
Interscope
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
THREE
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Brief scores:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
The%20specs
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Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
More on animal trafficking
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Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
