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
BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Turkey - because the government look after animals so well there.
Favourite film: I love scary movies. I have so many favourites but The Ring stands out.
Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.
Favourite colour: Black.
Favourite music: Hard rock. I actually also perform as a rock DJ in Dubai.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH SCHEDULE
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)
Liverpool v Roma
Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)
Europa League semi-final, first leg
Thursday, April 26
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (11.05pm)
Marseille v Salzburg (11.05pm)
The biog
Name: Samar Frost
Born: Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends
Favourite singer: Adele
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh132,000 (Countryman)
Fixtures
Friday Leganes v Alaves, 10.15pm; Valencia v Las Palmas, 12.15am
Saturday Celta Vigo v Real Sociedad, 8.15pm; Girona v Atletico Madrid, 10.15pm; Sevilla v Espanyol, 12.15am
Sunday Athletic Bilbao v Getafe, 8.15am; Barcelona v Real Betis, 10.15pm; Deportivo v Real Madrid, 12.15am
Monday Levante v Villarreal, 10.15pm; Malaga v Eibar, midnight
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
The UAE squad for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
The jiu-jitsu men’s team: Faisal Al Ketbi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Yahia Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Obaid Al Nuaimi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Mansoori, Saeed Al Mazroui, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Qubaisi, Salem Al Suwaidi, Khalfan Belhol, Saood Al Hammadi.
Women’s team: Mouza Al Shamsi, Wadeema Al Yafei, Reem Al Hashmi, Mahra Al Hanaei, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Hessa Thani, Salwa Al Ali.
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600
Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
Specs
Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo V6
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 405hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 562Nm at 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.2L/100km
Price: From Dh292,845 (Reserve); from Dh320,145 (Presidential)
On sale: Now
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Results
5pm: Wadi Nagab – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Al Falaq, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Wadi Sidr – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Fakhama, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
6.30pm: Wadi Shees – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mutaqadim, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 – Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Wadi Tayyibah – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Poster Paint, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Scoreline
Chelsea 1
Azpilicueta (36')
West Ham United 1
Hernandez (73')
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less