Hamed bin Zayed witnesses the launch of the first self-driving vehicle project in the country

His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Khalifa University of Science and Technology, witnessed the launch of the "Khalifa University Autonomous Vehicle", the first vehicle of its kind in the UAE that can be operated without the need for a driver with a capacity of 12 passengers to transport students and members of the two academic bodies and administration within the university campus in Sas al-Nakhl.

His Highness also witnessed the signing of an agreement to operate the Emirates Innovation Center in Communications and Information Technology "Eptek", worth 170 million dirhams, signed by Khalifa University, Etisalat Corporation and the British BT Group, which are the founding bodies of the "Eptek" center in addition to the Communications Regulatory Authority and the digital government in the country.

With this initiative, Khalifa University becomes the first in the country to develop an autonomous vehicle on campus that is capable of driving in various external environments, which has contributed to providing a smart and sustainable means of transportation at the university and promoting sustainable development initiatives in the UAE.

The Khalifa University self-driving vehicle is fully electric and is the first of its kind in the UAE in terms of its ability to operate in mixed traffic due to its ability to autonomously drive on roads with cars and other vehicles.

This environmentally safe and innovative initiative in the field of transportation is a platform for research and development for academic staff members and researchers at the Khalifa University Center for Robots and Autonomous Systems, which includes 50 researchers and modern and advanced laboratory facilities and provides an effective and multidisciplinary environment for conducting research and innovations related to robots and autonomous vehicles.

On this occasion, His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said that the initiative to operate a self-driving vehicle on the campus of Khalifa University - in Sas Al Nakhl - embodies the university's keenness to achieve Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 in supporting the knowledge economy and placing Abu Dhabi on the list of global destinations for research and development, and contributing In developing knowledge and human capital in this field.. His Highness congratulated the members of the academic staff and engineering students who made this outstanding achievement, which we are proud to witness in a national university in the country.

During the visit, His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met the students of the Elite Program engaged in the national service, who presented their engineering projects in the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics, information and communication systems, in the presence of Brigadier General Obaid Ali Al-Mansoori, Director of Media and Institutional Communication at the National Service Authority. Research projects related to the self-driving vehicle and taking a group photo with the recruits.

After the launch of the self-driving vehicle, His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan toured the vehicle between the buildings of the Khalifa University campus.

While His Highness was accompanied on his tour by members of the Board of Trustees of Khalifa University, HE Salem Rashid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company "SEHA", Director General of the Emirates Space Agency Salem Butti Salem Al Qubaisi, Deputy CEO of the Group and CEO of Institutional Affairs and Human Resources at Mubadala Investment Company Humaid Al-Shammari and Executive Vice President at Khalifa University, Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi.

His Highness also inspected the Autonomous Vehicles Laboratory, which includes an operation room for the autonomous vehicle, where he learned how the vehicle operates and manages, which includes smart systems that help manage the vehicle, enhance security and safety aspects, monitor its movement, and benefit from it to achieve innovation and development, in addition to future plans that include a project that meets All the necessary conditions for driving a vehicle without a driver.

His Highness was acquainted with the characteristics of the vehicle, especially with regard to the safety and security system in the autonomous vehicle, which includes tracking technologies, the surveillance camera network system, and others.. While he listened to an explanation given by Dr. Lakmal Seneviranti, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Khalifa University Center for Autonomous Robotics Systems, and Dr. George Manuel Miranda Dias, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

The Khalifa University self-driving vehicle has features that enable it to detect and avoid potential obstacles thanks to sensors, cameras, light exploration, rangefinding, GPS, sensor data units and inertia measurement. The vehicle is equipped with an onboard Wi-Fi network to capture data. This is in addition to its ability to drive autonomously safely and effectively in various environments with varying traffic movements, such as isolated roads shared with pedestrians and bicycles, roads that witness slow-moving cars, in addition to volatile weather conditions.

During the visit, His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was briefed on a number of innovative projects at the university, with the participation of Elite Program students, under the supervision of three members of the academic staff: Dr. Fahd Al Maskari, Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Dr. Majid Khonji, Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Dr. Hamad Karaki, Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Khalifa University.

The projects presented included an "autonomous robot" designed by university students under the supervision of Dr. Majid Khonji, where the robot won first place in the category of ground robots during the Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport 2021, in addition to another project for an autonomous drone designed by university students and under the supervision of Dr. Hamad Al-Karaki, which It won second place in the drones category in the Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport 2021, in addition to the first prototype of the Elite Team, a flexible, autonomous aircraft project developed by a group of students from the Elite Team under the supervision of Dr. Yahya Al-Zweiri, Associate Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering.

His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was also briefed on a group of projects of the Emirates Center for Innovation in Information and Communications Technology "Eptech" under the supervision of Dr. Nawaf Al-Mousa, Acting Director of the "Eptech" Center.

The signing of the agreement to operate the "Eptek" center was attended by members of the center's board of directors, who are: Undersecretary of the Ministry of Academic Affairs for Higher Education in the Ministry of Education, Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim Al-Mualla, Director General of Applied Research at BT, Dr. Tim Wattley, and Head of the Digital Services Department and Customer Experience Department. Saleh Sayed Ahmed, Senior Vice President for Research and Development at Khalifa University, Dr. Steve Griffiths.

Vice President of Digital Platform and Customer Experience at Etisalat, Saleh Sayed Ahmed Yousef, said: We at Etisalat are pleased to provide support to the Emirates Center for Innovation in Information and Communications Technology "EBTIC" in a way that enables it to play its role in leading the technology of advanced and innovative smart systems for the next generation. From networks, providing ICT services and applications that enable the next generation of networks.. As a leading operator of the 5G network, Etisalat continues to work on adopting and launching the latest digital technologies and solutions in a way that contributes to achieving its strategic vision of leading the digital future to empower societies Hence, Etisalat looks forward to strengthening its relations with the Emirates Center for Innovation in Information and Communications Technology, in a way that contributes to achieving development and playing a greater role in the digital life of researchers, consumers and companies.

For his part, Director of Intelligent Systems, Security Services and Research Operations in Applied Research at BT, Paul O'Brien, said: We are pleased to continue partnerships with the EPTECH Center in its third phase of operations, as the center has proven its success in many joint initiatives with our partners Etisalat and Khalifa University. .

He added: "BT Corporation has a long-term commitment to the Middle East region, and we are pleased to continue this commitment to enrich capabilities in research and innovation in the region. We also look forward to the next five years, which will witness a remarkable development in the EPTECH Center."

The EPTIC Center has been contributing since 2009 to advancing innovation in smart and advanced systems. In June 2021, the center won the "Best Cloud Automation Tool and Best Automation Use" category for its project developed by "SBL Solutions", during the prestigious competition that The “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Award 2021” was held in the United Kingdom, and this innovation is currently in the process of being transformed into a start-up in cooperation with the Khalifa Innovation Center.

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