Seeking robots' sweet spot



Ask a person to describe what life in the future may be like and it is likely robots will feature somewhere in their description.

The advancing computational and mechanical abilities of technology, paired with society's constant need for safety, efficiency and cost-effectiveness, mean the potential for man-made helpers is huge.

Here in the UAE, the advancing field of robotics is of great potential benefit to a number of industries. In fact, any time you need to acquire information from or perform a task in a place that is hard to get to, or dangerous - including maintenance of underwater oil wells, exploration of hydrothermal vents, search and rescue, and other forms of remote sensing - there is a desire to employ a robot to prevent risk to human life.

But in using robots from a distance, scientists face the challenge of ensuring that the robot can adequately perform the desired task. There are two standard ways of doing this: remote control - "teleoperation" - in which a user specifies all of the robot's movements from a distance, and full autonomy, in which the robot uses its artificial intelligence to accomplish the task without user input.

In teleoperation, the user communicates with the robot via an interface, which displays information from the robot's sensors and allows the user to control the robot's movements with input devices such as a joystick, keyboard, or mouse.

Such remote interactions are difficult for a number of reasons, including communication interruptions and delays, the large degrees of freedom of the robot (all of which must be controlled by the user), and the user's ability to interpret effectively the robot's environment in real time.

On the other hand, fully autonomous robots are programmed and trained to perform complex tasks in advance, typically by the designers of the systems. But robots often work in unknown, uncertain, and complex environments - making it tricky for designers to fully envision exactly what their creation might need to be able to do to adequately perform its tasks.

At the Masdar Institute, researchers are trying to find a sweet spot between remote control and full autonomy. In these systems, robots will have the ability to perform some functions (such as picking up a tool) autonomously, but the human can give high-level commands to guide and correct them. In so doing, we hope to overcome the problems inherent in either extreme.

The crux of this line of research is making a system that works but is not too hard for a human to control. We want people to be able to customise the robot's behaviours to what they need.

We are hopeful that our work in this area can be of great benefit not only to industry but also to individuals in society. For example, robots are already becoming useful in health care, including autism therapy, assistive living and telesurgery. The potential applications for this research are diverse and likely to grow as scientists and engineers discover more uses for robots in industry, exploration and daily life.

However, these benefits can be achieved only if people can adequately interact with, program, and control robots.

We plan to continue to be actively engaged in developing robotic technologies that allow this and that will, in turn, let us create robotic systems that can be used successfully and responsibly in many aspects of society.

Dr Jacob Crandall is an assistant professor of computing and information science at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

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Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.