Hub71 recruits H2 2020 cohort; DEWA opens smart cities command centre
Good morning!
Here’s your weekly roundup of Middle East AI News!
Lots of news to share today. Saudi Arabia has climbed 40 places in the UN's government Digital Infrastructure Index 2020 to rank 27 worldwide; DEWA opens a smart cities command centre in Dubai; and Hub 71 selects 11 startups for its H2 2020 cohort.
Also DEWA is the proud new owner of two Boston Dynamics Spot robots and Google develops a platform to decode Egyptian hieroglyphs!
Stay safe and have a great weekend!
/Carrington
Startup News
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Hub71 recruits 11 new start-ups as part of latest cohort — www.thenational.ae
#UAE #startups - Abu Dhabi-based tech accelerator Hub71 selected 11 global startups for the H2 2020 cohort of its incentive programme. The companies include AI-enabled health and wellness platform Mint Basil Market and US-based Scanalytics, which uses Internet of Things and sensor technologies to augment physical spaces. (The National)
Smart Cities
Moro Hub inaugurates Smart Cities Command and Control Centre for Dubai 10X initiatives — www.wam.ae
#UAE #smartcities - Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, DEWA, inaugurated the Smart Cities Command and Control Centre of Moro Hub this week, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DEWA. (Emirates News Agency)
Saudi Arabia climbs 40 places in Digital Infrastructure Index 2020 — www.arabnews.com
#Saudi #digitaleconomy - Saudi Arabia has climbed 40 places in the United Nations government Digital Infrastructure Index 2020 to rank 27, putting it at the eighth spot in the G20. It has moved up 15 places in the Human Capital Index to rank 35 globally, putting it in 10th place in the G20, and also risen nine places in the E-Government Development Index to achieve the highest classification for the index, which includes 139 countries. (Arab News)
AI to monitor behaviour of taxi drivers in Dubai — www.thenational.ae
#UAE #transport - A new artificial intelligence system is being introduced in Dubai to monitor and track the behaviour of taxi drivers. The emirate’s Roads and Transport Authority said that the technology will be used to detect drowsy and distracted driving. (The National)
Robotics
DEWA begins testing Boston Dynamic’s Spot Robots — meconstructionnews.com
#UAE #robotics - Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has started testing the different uses of the four-legged Spot Robots in its internal operations, becoming the first utility in the region to use this robot, which is developed by Boston Dynamics. (ME Construction News)
Facial Recognition
NNTC's iFalcon Foreman application boosts efficiency at Al Nasiya construction — www.zawya.com
#UAE #construction - Al Nasiya Construction has implemented UAE-based software developer NNTC's iFalcon Foreman solution. The iFalcon Foreman application scans the faces of workers before the start of each shift. (Zawya)
Coronavirus
Dubai Health Authority uses AI to sterilise its health facilities — wam.ae
#UAE #coronavirus - The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has begun to sterilise its hospitals and health centres by using smart robots, in line with precautionary measures to enhance the safety of all staff members and patients. (Emirates News Agency)
AI tool to curb COVID-19 without privacy issues — www.omanobserver.om
#Oman #coronavirus - A nine-member research team from Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) , Medical Research Centre, Sultan Qaboos University (MRC-SQU) and Taqat LLC, an Omani company, are collaborating to deploy an AI to curb Covid-19 infections. (Oman Observer)
Education
Can STEM education guarantee job security in the Middle East? — www.arabnews.com
#Saudi #UAE #education - The growing need for STEM skills is outpacing the slow process of change in curricula globally. Arab News talks to Manal Hakim, founder and CEO of Geek Express, an educational-technology platform. (Arab News)
Samsung partners with Misk Academy for online course on AI — www.arabnews.com
#Saudi #education - Samsung Innovation Campus, a global educational program that equips students with “future-proof” skills, has partnered with Misk Academy to launch AI courses in Saudi Arabia. (Arab News)
Mindspark selected as a finalist of the 2019 UNESCO-King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize — www.highereducationdigest.com
#Bahrain #India #education - Educational Initiatives (EI), announced that Mindspark has been selected as a finalist of the 2019 UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the ‘’Use of ICT in Education.’’ Mindspark was recognized for its high quality and innovative use of AI in education. (HED)
Huawei launches the biggest developers contest for apps innovation “Apps UP” in the Middle East — www.egypttoday.com
#Egypt #developers - Huawei has invited developers around the Middle East to put their skills to the test on a global stage with the launch of HUAWEI HMS App Innovation Contest, Apps UP (13 July - 30 August). Huawei is offering $200,000 in cash prizes for the winners. (Egypt Today)
Drones
Will Dubai's drone law create new opportunities for startups? — www.sme10x.com
#UAE #drones - Dubai's has a new law to govern the development of a drone services sector and a strategy to develop and manage the drone ecosystem. Now that the emirate is better positioned to attract investment and drive innovation, where are the opportunities? (SME10X.com)
Events
Dubai marks business events reopening with invite-only AI conference today — www.c-mw.net
#UAE #events - Dubai World Trade Centre is holding The AI Everything x Restart Dubai Summer Conference today, hosted by the National Program of Artificial Intelligence, which will celebrate the United Arab Emirate’s AI efforts during this time of pandemic. (CMW)
Culture
Google launches AI-powered tool to decode Egyptian hieroglyphs — gulfbusiness.com
#Egypt #languages - Google has launched a new machine learning tool that can help decode Egyptian hieroglyphs in Arabic and English. The tool, Fabricius, will also facilitate the work of egyptologists and create awareness about the history and heritage of the ancient Egyptian civilization. (Gulf Business)