• Mohamed Yalouh, 15, integrating the final CAD model of the ground based units. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
    Mohamed Yalouh, 15, integrating the final CAD model of the ground based units. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
  • Mohamed Yalouh, 15, one of the founders of Waind Technologies, a student-led project in the United Arab Emirates set to develop new public safety solutions for Covid-19 using artificial intelligence. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
    Mohamed Yalouh, 15, one of the founders of Waind Technologies, a student-led project in the United Arab Emirates set to develop new public safety solutions for Covid-19 using artificial intelligence. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
  • Mohamed Yalouh, 15, originally from Morocco, is one of the founders of Waind Technologies. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
    Mohamed Yalouh, 15, originally from Morocco, is one of the founders of Waind Technologies. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
  • Louai Allani at his home in the Greens, Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    Louai Allani at his home in the Greens, Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Louai Allani, a social entrepreneur and pupil working at his home in The Greens in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    Louai Allani, a social entrepreneur and pupil working at his home in The Greens in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Louai Allani, a founding member of Waind, at his home in the Greens in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    Louai Allani, a founding member of Waind, at his home in the Greens in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Coronavirus: UAE school pupils aim to develop fleet of robots and drones to detect Covid-19 rule-breakers


Anam Rizvi
  • English
  • Arabic

A pair of enterprising UAE teenagers are aiming to build a fleet of cutting-edge robots and drones to catch out Covid-19 rule-breakers failing to wear masks in public places.

Louai Allani, 18, and Mohamed Yalouh, 15, are the co-founders of Waind, a pupil-led research and development project to create artificial intelligence-based solutions to combat the pandemic.

The duo have dedicated their free time outside of their school studies to drive forward the bold initiative in a bid to limit the spread of coronavirus.

Now they need crucial backing from universities and authorities to turn their dreams into a reality - as well as the support of another like-minded youngster with a passion for advancing technology.

Mr Allani and Mohamed have already made a 3D model of the robot but require additional help to produce the robots and carry out further experiments.

"We need support from universities as we require space and facilities for conducting experiments," said Mr Allani, a Tunisian 12th grader at Lycée Français International de Dubai.

"We also need help from universities to get permits for experiments like flying drones or robot simulations."

The pupils do not have a permit to fly drones and using aerial units is part of their plan should they get required approvals.

"We are in the middle of a pandemic and want to make the community safer and healthier," said Mr Allani.

"This was the best project for us to start with as we are working on solutions to the current pandemic and our invention could help decrease the number of cases."

Waind is currently developing robots that can detect people who are not wearing face coverings or complying with social distancing regulations.

The robots will be equipped with sterilising technology, while drones could be used for a variety of other purposes such as fire control and delivering first aid.

Police in Dubai and Sharjah deployed drones equipped with loudspeakers and cameras to ensure members of the public complied with safety measures in the early stages of the pandemic.

"We are hoping to to partner with the government to better the artificial intelligence technology and propose new solutions," said Mr Allani.

Mohamed Yalouh, 15, founding member of Waind at his home in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
Mohamed Yalouh, 15, founding member of Waind at his home in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari for The National

The school pupils are currently looking for another UAE-based pupil with a passion for technology to become a third founder-member.

The ambitious pair started Waind while studying remotely during the pandemic, in an effort to get youth involved in artificial intelligence-based projects.

Mohamed Yalouh, a Moroccan grade 11 pupil at The American Community School of Abu Dhabi, said they started work on the project outside of school hours roughly two months ago.

"We have conceptualised a robot that will have the technology to detect non-mask activity," said Mohamed.

"It uses sensors, trackers, machine learning and computer vision.

"We hope to get recognition and support from authorities who can help us put the technology in place."

Waind stands for water, air, and, land as the pupils intend to explore various elements.

The pupils want to first use the robots that will check for mask use and social distancing in community and residential areas, and then move to public transport and public areas.

"Inspired by some of the global challenges that we see today and our own experiences during the pandemic, we aim to build a research and development network of pupils worldwide to explore and develop new artificial intelligence innovations," said Mohamed.

Those interested in supporting the venture and finding out more information, can visit the Waind website.

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'Gold'

Director:Anthony Hayes

Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes

Rating:3/5

How Sputnik V works
The%20specs
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The specs: 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio

Price, base: Dh198,300
Engine: 2.0L in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 280hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7L / 100km

Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest

Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.

Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.

Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.

Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.

Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.

Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia

Manchester United's summer dealings

In

Victor Lindelof (Benfica) £30.7 million

Romelu Lukaku (Everton)  £75 million

Nemanja Matic (Chelsea)  £40 million

 

Out

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Released

Wayne Rooney (Everton) Free transfer

Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad) £9.8 million

 

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

 

 

In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff

Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458. 

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AT%20A%20GLANCE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWindfall%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EAn%20%E2%80%9Cenergy%20profits%20levy%E2%80%9D%20to%20raise%20about%20%C2%A35%20billion%20in%20a%20year.%20The%20temporary%20one-off%20tax%20will%20hit%20oil%20and%20gas%20firms%20by%2025%20per%20cent%20on%20extraordinary%20profits.%20An%2080%20per%20cent%20investment%20allowance%20should%20calm%20Conservative%20nerves%20that%20the%20move%20will%20dent%20North%20Sea%20firms%E2%80%99%20investment%20to%20save%20them%2091p%20for%20every%20%C2%A31%20they%20spend.%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EA%20universal%20grant%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EEnergy%20bills%20discount%2C%20which%20was%20effectively%20a%20%C2%A3200%20loan%2C%20has%20doubled%20to%20a%20%C2%A3400%20discount%20on%20bills%20for%20all%20households%20from%20October%20that%20will%20not%20need%20to%20be%20paid%20back.%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETargeted%20measures%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMore%20than%20eight%20million%20of%20the%20lowest%20income%20households%20will%20receive%20a%20%C2%A3650%20one-off%20payment.%20It%20will%20apply%20to%20households%20on%20Universal%20Credit%2C%20Tax%20Credits%2C%20Pension%20Credit%20and%20legacy%20benefits.%3Cbr%3ESeparate%20one-off%20payments%20of%20%C2%A3300%20will%20go%20to%20pensioners%20and%20%C2%A3150%20for%20those%20receiving%20disability%20benefits.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Results:

6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 (PA) | Group 1 US$75,000 (Dirt) | 2,200 metres

Winner: Goshawke, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer)

7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas (TB) | Listed $250,000 (D) | 1,600m

Winner: Silva, Oisin Murphy, Pia Brendt

7.40pm: Meydan Classic Trial (TB) | Conditions $100,000 (Turf) | 1,400m

Winner: Golden Jaguar, Connor Beasley, Ahmad bin Harmash

8.15pm: Al Shindagha Sprint (TB) | Group 3 $200,000 (D) | 1,200m

Winner: Drafted, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson

8.50pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (D) | 1,600m

Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Sandeep Jadhav

9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,000m

Winner: Oasis Charm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

10pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m

Winner: Escalator, Christopher Hayes, Charlie Fellowes

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

About Okadoc

Date started: Okadoc, 2018

Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Healthcare

Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth

Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February

Investors: Undisclosed

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

HAJJAN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Abu%20Bakr%20Shawky%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3EStarring%3A%20Omar%20Alatawi%2C%20Tulin%20Essam%2C%20Ibrahim%20Al-Hasawi%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

BLACKBERRY
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