UAE innovations at Abu Dhabi Expo Sciences International

A mind controlled Robot and segway like vehicle capable of speeds upto 20kph are some of the creations exhibited at Expo Science International 2013

Youngsters from 58 countries have come to the capital to show their talent at the Expo Sciences International 2013, which began on Sunday. Fatima Al Marzooqi / The National

ABU DHABI // A robot controlled by thought and a Segway-like vehicle that can travel at more than 20kph are two local innovations at the Expo Sciences International 2013.

Youngsters from 58 countries have come to the capital to show their talent at the exhibition, which began on Sunday.

“We have been working on this project for more than eight months now and hope to refine the system even more in future,” said Saif Al Mazourie, 17, from Abu Dhabi, who built the robot from scratch with classmates from the Institute of Applied Technology.

“Lots of people have been coming up to us and asking how we did it. It has been great.”

The students are using a headset that can read brain signals and interpret commands from the user, which are then transmitted by Bluetooth to the vehicle.

The machine can move forward, left or right controlled by the user’s thoughts. It is still unable to reverse but they are hoping to improve it in future.

Khalifa Al Mansour, 16, an Emirati student also from the Institute of Applied Technology, has been working on the personal transport machine.

“It has been great putting it together and now we can show everyone what we have built,” Khalifa said.

He and his fellow students put the machine together from the ground up, and now have a prototype capable of reaching speeds of 20kph and carrying a load of more than 150 kilograms.

They have also installed a remote- control interface to move the vehicle from up to a kilometre away.

Organisers hope this year’s expo is the perfect place for students to show off their skills, and meet some of their peers from around the world.

More than 100 projects by 380 students from the UAE are on display, making up a significant part of the overall event.

“Expo Science International is one of the biggest events of its kind and we are glad to have all of these countries here in Abu Dhabi,” said Ahmed Al Mulla, senior manager of student services at the institute.

“But we also tried to put our students alongside the international participants. They can learn from each other and see what is going on with youth projects across the world, and we can then compete with them. This is a good way to compare our students’ progress.

“Emiratis always try to be number one. I believe they will learn more and improve their skills by networking with the international participants here at the expo, to communicate with them and share ideas with them.

“This is one of the benefits we are aiming to cultivate.”

But students were not the only exhibitors. Some of their possible employers were also present.

“Adnoc encourages young Emiratis to study engineering, right from KG1 to Grade 12,” said Faisal Al Ali, manager of scholarships at the national oil company.

“We hope that students are graduating with more science knowledge and will be able to be accepted to the best universities across the world.”

The exhibition continues today at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. September 17, the last day of the event, is for ladies only.