Dubai issues new drone law; UAE ranked 8th in driverless car readiness
Good morning!
Here’s your weekly roundup of Middle East AI News!
Lots of news to share this week and most of it comes from the UAE. This includes the new Dubai drone law that was announced on Saturday, paving the way for urban air mobility services.
Could Dubai's new drone law be the big break the drone delivery industry has been waiting for? Drone delivery is being trialed all over the world, but regulation has lagged and commercial services keep getting postponed. If the implementation goes well, the new law could position Dubai as a hub for the drone industry.
You'll find a number of stories on Dubai's drone law below. You are also welcome to download my 14 page business briefing on the subject here.
Stay safe and have a great weekend!
/Carrington
Dubai's New Drone Law
Law issued to regulate drone activity in Dubai — gulfnews.com
#UAE #drones - His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, issued Law No. (4) of 2020, outlining the regulations governing drone activity in Dubai, Regulation will fall under Dubai Civil Aviation Authority. (Gulf News)
Dubai paves way for drone package deliveries with 'miniature airports' network — www.thenational.ae
#UAE #drones - The Dubai Sky Dome initiative will pave the way for the drone delivery of packages and even the transport of passengers, according to Dubai Civil Aviation. The initiative will create an airspace infrastructure for UAVs that could connect buildings through "runways and miniature airports across the city". (The National)
Dubai's new drones law will attract businesses and strengthen the aviation sector's standing globally — www.thenational.ae
#UAE #drones - Dubai's new law regulating the city's commercial drone network will help open up new business opportunities and strengthen the emirate's aviation sector, according to Dubai Aviation City Corporation. (The National)
Startups
Why investing in start-ups is still attractive during the pandemic — www.thenational.ae
#UAE #VC - Tech ventures focused on solving pandemic challenges are proving especially popular for VCs and angel investors. One Abu Dhabi-based angel network is focusing on sustainable technology, cyber security, AI and financial technology. (The National)
Autonomous Vehicles
UAE moves up a spot in driverless car readiness ranking — www.thenational.ae
#UAE #AVs - The UAE edged up one place to 8th in KPMG's annual Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index, performing well in technology infrastructure and the willingness of its people and government to embrace driverless cars. (The National)
Robotics
Expo 2020 Dubai appoints China's Terminus as official robotics partner — gulfbusiness.com
#UAE #Expo2020 - Chinese tech company, Terminus Technologies, a specialist in AI and Internet of Things (IoT), has been named Expo 2020 Dubai’s official robotics partner. Terminus will deploy more than 150 programmable robots to interact with visitors during the Expo event. (Gulf Business)
Coronavirus
Abu Dhabi-based G42 collaborates with Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael to combat Covid-19 — gulfbusiness.com
#UAE #coroanvirus - Abu Dhabi-based AI and cloud computing company Group 42 (G42), has signed an MoU with Israeli defence technology company, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems (Rafael) and the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to explore collaborations in the research and development of solutions to combat Covid-19. (Gulf Business)
Coronavirus: Dubai rolls out germ-busting robot to combat Covid-19 — www.thenational.ae
#UAE #coronavirus - Dubai has rolled out its latest weapon in the fight against Covid-19 - a germ-busting robot which can disinfect hospital wards, malls and offices using ultraviolet light. Sanitizexperts, a home, office and industrial cleaning firm, said its automated UVC robot offers a smarter, safer and more efficient way to combat the spread of coronavirus and wipe out other bacteria. (The National)
Retail
Innovative Saudi restaurateurs launch Saudi Arabia’s first fresh food robot — www.arabnews.com
#Saudi #F&B - The enterprising owners of a Saudi restaurant have taken health food technology to a futuristic new level — by employing the services of a salad robot. Customers at RAW.K’s Riyadh eatery are being offered nutritious, fresh, and energizing meals and snacks from a machine utilizing the latest appliance of robotics science. (Arab News)
Healthcare
American Hospital Dubai wins recognition for excellence in robotics surgery for performing over 100 successful procedures — www.khaleejtimes.com
#UAE #robotics - American Hospital Dubai has been awarded 'Excellence in Robotic Surgery Services' from Global Brands Magazine, a leading independent publication based in the UK. AHD was recognised for its exceptional commitment to innovation, quality service, branding, customer service. (Khaleej Times)
R&D
Qatar HKBU researcher uses ML to try to predict how social media will react to an event — www.siliconrepublic.com
#Qatar #media - A researcher at Qatar Computing Research Institute at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Dr Jisun An is trying to use the power of machine learning and analytics to better understand human behaviour on social media. (Silicon Republic)
Education
Abu Dhabi's AI university launches online lecture series open to the public — www.thenational.ae
#UAE #education - Abu Dhabi's Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence launched MBZUAI Talks on Tuesday, a monthly online lecture series open to the public that will delve into some of the most promising areas of AI. (The National)
Energy
DEWA is first UAE government entity to utilise NVIDIA GPU in AI applications — www.mediaoffice.ae
#UAE #energy - Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) was awarded a certificate of acknowledgement from US-based NVIDIA Corporation for being the first UAE government organisation to adopt NVIDIA GPU Computing Technology in AI and data processing, (Dubai Media Office)
DEWA participates in launch of ‘AI Procurement in a Box’ toolkit in collaboration with WEF’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution — mediaoffice.ae
#UAE #energy - Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has participated in launching the ‘AI Procurement in a Box’ toolkit in collaboration with the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution UAE (C4IR UAE). (Dubai Media Office)