Artificial intelligence will soon be used on Dubai's roads after Smart Dubai Office signed an agreement this week with the Roads and Transport Authority and a local start-up in a bid to cut road accidents.
In July, an early warning crash detector that would alert drivers to hazards and erratic road users around them was being developed to cut road deaths.
At the time, start-up Derq was testing the system that would see roadside scanners search for speeding and swerving drivers but now that system is a little closer to becoming a reality on the roads.
"[We will] experiment with the use of AI technology developed in the American Massachusetts Institute of Technology to enhance safety at junctions witnessing overlapping traffic between vehicles and Dubai Tram," said Mattar Al Tayer, the RTA's director general. "This technology is based on installing special sensors at junctions to figure out the speed of vehicles and the distance remaining for vehicles to cross the signal. Through using AI technology, the tram driver will be alerted before arriving at the junction to be cautious of a vehicle about to jump the red light signal."
Dr Georges Aoude, chief executive of Derq, said he was proud to have the government's support to bring the company's solutions to Dubai's roads. "We are excited to have built our organisation and grown our talent in Dubai to develop cutting edge AI-based connected vehicle technologies to predict and prevent road accidents," he said.
Read more: Dubai start-up aims to cut UAE road accidents
"Our key objectives are aligned with Dubai Government's priorities to significantly reduce accident rates by 2021, contribute to enhancing the mobility of the city of Dubai and enable the safe deployment of autonomous vehicles by 2030. For today's cars, it will improve road safety and reduce accidents by being able to predict and prevent them."
By 2030, Dubai aims for 25 per cent of its transportation to be driverless. "This will require a connected infrastructure and city so they can navigate safely around their surroundings," he said. "We are able to provide that through our connected safety systems."
The agreement, signed in collaboration with Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, includes demonstrating the feasibility and benefits of connected vehicle technologies for road safety on conventional and autonomous vehicles in Dubai and implementing and developing innovative AI solutions for collision prediction and prevention in the emirate. It also includes mining and analysing Big Data for road safety applications and other smart mobility solutions.
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
UAE athletes heading to Paris 2024
Equestrian
Abdullah Humaid Al Muhairi, Abdullah Al Marri, Omar Al Marzooqi, Salem Al Suwaidi, and Ali Al Karbi (four to be selected).
Judo
Men: Narmandakh Bayanmunkh (66kg), Nugzari Tatalashvili (81kg), Aram Grigorian (90kg), Dzhafar Kostoev (100kg), Magomedomar Magomedomarov (+100kg); women's Khorloodoi Bishrelt (52kg).
Cycling
Safia Al Sayegh (women's road race).
Swimming
Men: Yousef Rashid Al Matroushi (100m freestyle); women: Maha Abdullah Al Shehi (200m freestyle).
Athletics
Maryam Mohammed Al Farsi (women's 100 metres).
Central Bank's push for a robust financial infrastructure
- CBDC real-value pilot held with three partner institutions
- Preparing buy now, pay later regulations
- Preparing for the 2023 launch of the domestic card initiative
- Phase one of the Financial Infrastructure Transformation (FiT) completed
Florence and the Machine – High as Hope
Three stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Company: Vault
Started: June 2023
Co-founders: Bilal Abou-Diab and Sami Abdul Hadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Licensed by: Abu Dhabi Global Market
Industry: Investment and wealth advisory
Funding: $1 million
Investors: Outliers VC and angel investors
Number of employees: 14
Pros and cons of BNPL
Pros
- Easy to use and require less rigorous credit checks than traditional credit options
- Offers the ability to spread the cost of purchases over time, often interest-free
- Convenient and can be integrated directly into the checkout process, useful for online shopping
- Helps facilitate cash flow planning when used wisely
Cons
- The ease of making purchases can lead to overspending and accumulation of debt
- Missing payments can result in hefty fees and, in some cases, high interest rates after an initial interest-free period
- Failure to make payments can impact credit score negatively
- Refunds can be complicated and delayed
Courtesy: Carol Glynn
Voy! Voy! Voy!
Director: Omar Hilal
Stars: Muhammad Farrag, Bayoumi Fouad, Nelly Karim
Rating: 4/5
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
