The Emirates Group and Dubai Future Foundation have today signed a significant partnership to launch the Emirates Centre of Excellence for Aviation Robotics (ECEAR). The agreement was signed at ForsaTEK, the Group’s innovation forum.
Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer said: “This is a key milestone in the Emirates Group’s innovation journey and a remarkable step for the aviation industry. Our partnership with Dubai Future Foundation helps realise our own vision for aviation and supports Dubai’s vision to be one of the world’s leading futuristic cities. This will give us a true opportunity to take advantage of evolving technology, allowing us to continually expand the use of robotics and technological applications in our customer journey and improve operational efficiency. Investing in focused R&D will allow us to transform our business in the digital era, make more use of AI, give tangible benefits to our customers and stakeholders, and will keep us ahead.”
His Excellency Khalfan Juma Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, said the launch of the Emirates Centre of Excellence for Aviation Robotics embodies the importance of incubating top national and international talents in Dubai to develop robotic solutions that support the growth of the aviation sector. Belhoul said the agreement will provide fresh and diverse economic opportunities centred on developing technologies of futures.
He added: “The outputs of this initiative will contribute to advancing “Dubai Robotics and Automation Program”, launched by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Future Foundation’s Board of Trustees, which aims to make Dubai one of the leading cities in the world within this field, expanding the use of robotics in various vital sectors.
With this initiative, the Emirates Group and Dubai Future Labs, an initiative of Dubai Future Foundation, will take a leading role in driving industry-focused research and development (R&D) with practical use cases and delivering them with global impact. ECEAR will serve as a R&D space devoted to harnessing science and technology to solve complex challenges faced by the global aviation industry.
ECEAR is designed to help transform Dubai into the world’s premier location for R&D and innovation – attracting top global talent, providing a platform for local students to develop their skills, inspiring more interest in STEM degrees, and building the ecosystem for the highest levels of research.
The Centre will explore key themes, including human-robot interaction; cargo and luggage handling; logistics and intralogistics; and aviation standards and regulations. ECEAR will also closely explore the intersection between Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, including the potential applications for generative AI and biometrics.
Dubai Future Labs was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, is one of Dubai Future Foundation’s initiatives and is a centre for research and development in robotics, programming and artificial intelligence. Its team of researchers, scientists and engineers work to develop advanced technologies and equipment, including autonomous vehicles, drones and a variety of other specialized future technologies.