The UAE government takes the lead in showcasing high technology and innovative products and programs ahead of other participating GCC countries at Global Smart Cities exhibition at the 37th edition of Gitex Technology Week. Global Smart Cities is an international showcase of the world’s most progressive smart cities implementing the latest tech innovations to advance the efficiency of their infrastructure and delivery of public services.
The Road and Transportation Authority (RTA), Dubai Police, and the Ministry of Interior General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai (DNRD), displayed their latest programs, which are on their way for implementation to the general public.
To show how technology helps in making the lives of all the residents and visitors in Dubai more convenient, the DNRD displayed the systems and applications used at the Dubai International Airport, such as Smart Gate, UAE Wallet, and soon-to-be-launched passenger tube where first class and business class passengers could pass through exclusively up to the Duty Free area.
“We are supporting Dubai airport. All the technology in relation to the Dubai Immigration services are already set up at the Dubai International Airport. We are showing here the best technology for the entry and exit of the airport. These systems speed up the processes for all passengers at the airport for customer satisfaction,” said Major Khalid A Bin Mediya Al Falasi, Deputy Assistant Director of the Smart Services at DNRD.
Autonomous taxi
The RTA unveiled the futuristic autonomous taxi that will be available for public use in the next five years. Made by German company Volocoptor, the drone taxi is envisioned to be Dubai’s new mode of public transportation that could be requested with a smart app, and would be operated by the passengers themselves.
Khaled Abdul Rahman Al Awadhi, Director of Automated Collection System, Corporate Technology Support Services Sector at RTA, assured that as a public transport, the autonomous taxi fare will be affordable for all passengers.
“This would be something affordable for most of the people. It’s not like a mode of transportation for businesspeople alone. It would be competing with the existing fare of the taxi and limo services in Dubai,” Al Awadhi told The Filipino Times.
Al Awadhi also stressed that the drone taxi is safe to operate with its 18 engines and equipped with a parachute, designed based on the European business standards.
The Dubai Police launched its Smart Police Service Center, the first in the world. The 24/7 center, which will be fully operational in the coming months with 27 key services for the public, is equipped with robotics that could function without human intervention.
It will also provide 33 fully automated sub-services. The drive-through will allow residents to avail Dubai Police services, including payment of traffic fines.
Also displayed at Gitex was the electric bike with a speed of 200/kph, and has eight cameras. The bike will soon be auto-balanced and unmanned in 2020. Dubai Police also introduced Dubai Robo Cop. This Dubai Police robot, will be deployed in malls and at the Dubai airport terminals. It will serve as a customer service center with 64 services in applications. It can also detect wanted persons using the face recognition system.
A prototype of the hover bike that flies is also on display, which is intended for emergency rescue operations and the driverless car OR 3 also equipped with cameras and face recognition and object detection systems. It will soon be deployed do the roving around the neighborhood of Dubai.
“Dubai Police want to be closer to the people. Although this does not intend to replace manpower with robotics. The robotics will only take 20 or 30 percent of the job but still we need the manpower. We apply robotics to make our jobs easier without replacing the people doing their jobs,” Lt. Saeed Mohd. Matar Al Mazrooei, in-charge Technical Innovation Section at Dubai Police, said about the Smart Police Service Center.
The 37th edition of global GITEX Technology Week that attracts over 4,100 exhibitors from over 70 countries each year, is held at the Dubai World Trade Centre between October 8 and 12.
