DUBAI: His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation witnessed the signing of three partnership agreements by Dubai Future Labs (DFL), an initiative of the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), with Emirates Airline, DP World and dnata.
The trio of deals aim to implement advanced future technologies in aviation and logistics, two vital non-oil sectors for Dubai and the UAE.
These national partnerships aim to activate the Dubai Robotics and Automation Program, which launched last September to advance the development, testing and adoption of robotics and automation (R&A) and accelerate its implementation in key economic sectors.
The program focuses on advancing research and development (R&D) in five major areas of the industry: Manufacturing and Manufacturing; Consumer services and tourism; Healthcare and connected mobility; and Logistics.
The program aims to transform Dubai into a top 10 global city for robotics and automation by adopting and developing robotics technologies, empowering domestic talent, and creating new solutions, products and services to drive the growth of the industry.
The agreements were signed in the presence of Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs; Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications and Deputy Director General of the Dubai Future Foundation; Sultan bin Sulayem, chairman and chief executive officer of DP World; Adel Ahmed Al Redha, Chief Operating Officer of Emirates Airline; Steve Allen. Chief Executive Officer of the dnata Group; and Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation.
Omar Sultan Al Olama said, “These three partnerships will help strengthen the position of Dubai and the UAE as a living laboratory of advanced technologies and innovations. These agreements will further advance the leadership’s vision to make our nation a global destination for partnerships, research and development and innovation that can shape the future.”
He added: “The implementation of robotics, automation and future technologies in key sectors enhances economic diversification and increases Dubai’s long-term competitiveness and attractiveness as a platform for launching and growing businesses and enabling the international trade with state-of-the-art logistics services”.
Dubai Future Labs’ Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DP World comprises several phases and projects. The main project to be undertaken under the MoU is aimed at developing intelligent and autonomous electric vehicles (E-CAV) for terminal operations that can serve as a more sustainable, reliable, efficient and safer alternative.
The MoU also focuses on promoting research and development into purpose-built systems and its commercialization to increase the safety and efficiency of DP World’s global operations, as well as support carbon emission reduction goals and group sustainability.
Under the MoU, Dubai Future Labs, will facilitate the research, testing and deployment of new technologies for logistics operations and develop future technologies incorporating artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, data analytics and blockchain.
The solutions that are expected to be developed include automated and intelligent systems for the transport, handling and storage of goods during port operations.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DP World, said: “This MoU is of strategic importance to us and comes at a time when improving supply chain efficiency is critical. DP World and Dubai Future Foundation will explore the potential to achieve breakthroughs in various fields by integrating with the smart government system and stimulating development and innovation to transform the UAE into an advanced digital and smart economy.Dubai’s position as a commercial hub digitally advanced global With our next-generation technologies and solutions, including hyperloop and automated warehouse stacking, as well as initiatives like Dubai Trade, Cargoes, Searates and the Digital Freight Alliance, we are truly reshaping the future of trade and logistics Keeping pace with the rapid evolution of technology, we are also exploring the implementation and of metaverse ac solutions to disadvantage our operations to solve real-world supply chain bottlenecks.”
Bin Sulayem added, “Our teams are constantly conducting research and development to digitize manual and traditional methods in our logistics operations. One example is the Electrical Terminal Trucks project which enhances our existing assets using advanced technologies to reduce supply chain disruptions and ensure an efficient flow of trade around the world.
Under the MoU with Emirates Airline, Dubai Future Labs will facilitate several innovative pilot projects, including a robotic check-in agent that leverages facial recognition and interacts with passengers, as well as a robot waiter serving in airport lounges. The introduction of these unique services will improve customer satisfaction by making the passenger’s airport experience smoother.
Emirates is also redoubling its efforts to overhaul its warehouse management system by implementing automated solutions. Working with DFL through R&D and R&A projects, Emirates will test and implement initiatives to increase the efficiency of internal processes and further its sustainability and environmental goals.
The airline will work with DFL to develop autonomous baggage handling and autonomous pallet storage for cargo, helping to make operations safer, more efficient and more reliable.
Adel Al Redha, Chief Operating Officer of Emirates, said: “We are delighted to further expand our partnership with the Dubai Future Foundation to implement innovative robotics solutions and utilize advanced technologies and artificial intelligence across our business areas at Emirates Engineering, Dubai International Airport and ramp operations.This will give Emirates the opportunity to benefit from DFF’s pool of experts and programmers, who will work with practical use cases and airline knowledge to improve day-to-day operations, improve efficiency and provide more seamless experiences to our customers.”
DFF’s Dubai Future Labs will work alongside dnata to research, develop and test innovations to further enhance the safety, efficiency and sustainability of the company’s groundhandling and cargo operations at Dubai International (DXB) airports and Dubai World Central (DWC).
According to the memorandum of understanding signed between the two organisations, Dubai Future Labs will support dnata in automating and converting its fleet to electrical ground support equipment (GSE) and deploying robots to maximize operational and environmental efficiency. The partnership will also support dnata in achieving its strategic goals and reducing its carbon footprint by 50% by 2030.
Steve Allen, CEO of dnata Group, said: “Our partnership with the Dubai Future Foundation will accelerate the implementation of cutting-edge technologies into our operations. It will help us further improve productivity and sustainability and consistently deliver world-class services to our partners”, including Dubai Airports and our customer airlines. We will continue our investments and efforts to play our part in the next stage of Dubai’s development as a leading global transportation and cargo hub.”
Khalfan Belhoul, confirmed that Dubai Future Labs, which was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, two years ago, provides an advanced open and applied research and development laboratory for test automation technologies and smart solutions for warehousing, handling, transportation and logistics services, self-driving vehicle designs powered by zero-emission renewable energy, and other innovations that employ programming, machine learning, the Internet of Things, robots, management, and analytics of big data.
Driven by the vision of becoming the prime driver of Dubai’s innovation ecosystem, Dubai Future Labs manages cutting-edge AI and robotics applied research projects that have the potential to have a global impact and increase the future-readiness of Dubai. Through its scientists, engineers and industry experts, Dubai Future Labs acts as a consultant to the government, advising on the technological challenges various sectors may face in the future.
