More than 150 robots will interact with visitors during Expo 2020 next year.
The robots include Opti, an Expo 2020 mascot who will interact with thousands of guests expected to arrive when the event opens next October.
The friendly machines will deliver food and drinks, show directions to visitors, perform in special events and also take photographs.
A golden-yellow robot Opti has been described as the ‘guardian’ of the Opportunity pavilion, one of three themes of the world fair that also include mobility and sustainability.
Wired with multi-touch screens and powered with 5G capability, the robots are the creation of a Chinese tech company Terminus.
“Our collaboration will demonstrate the potential of robotics, while also establishing the foundation for District 2020 as a centre for technology innovation,” said Mohammed AlHashmi, chief technology officer, Expo 2020 Dubai.
“Expo 2020 will be an unparalleled platform to showcase the capabilities of innovative technology.”
A mixed use commercial, educational and residential smart city, District 2020 has been planned from structures on site that will be repurposed after the world fair ends.
Nadimeh Mehra, vice president District 2020, said with future-defining technologies, Terminus would contribute to the UAE’s strategy for growth in artificial intelligence.
“This is an important collaboration as we share the vision of creating a human-centric smart community that will inspire other global innovation hubs,” she said.
The robotics company that also specialises in artificial intelligence will set up its first headquarters outside China at Expo’s District 2020.
“Expo 2020 Dubai will serve as an incredible hub of innovation for the world, and District 2020 will act as an example for global smart city development,” said Victor Ai, founder and chief executive Terminus Technologies.
“Terminus is working with both to redefine the concept of future cities.”
Expo organisers have said projects on the Dubai South site will be completed by year end as construction work in the area has continued despite the slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The first world expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region has been postponed by a year because of Covid-19 and will run from the beginning of October next year to the end of March 2022.
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Super%20Mario%20Bros%20Wonder
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GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
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The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%202-litre%20direct%20injection%20turbo%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%207-speed%20automatic%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20261hp%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20400Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20From%20Dh134%2C999%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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