Expo 2020 Dubai: Meet the robots that will guide you at mega event

Photos: Supplied

Dubai - They will provide a wide variety of smart services that provide a glimpse of what the future could look like

Published: Sun 26 Sep 2021, 5:45 PM

Updated: Sun 26 Sep 2021, 5:53 PM

By
Anjana Sankar

At Expo 2020 Dubai, visitors will get a taste of the future of robotics and how such smart technologies will shape futuristic cities.

Victor Ali, Founder and CEO of Terminus Group — that has deployed 152 robots at the site — said: “The emergence of robots will help humanity eliminate repetitive mundane tasks, leading to improved human experiences and increased industrial operating efficiency."

The programmable robots present at the mega fair will provide a wide variety of smart services that provide a glimpse of what the future could look like, he added. Take a look:

Robots land in Dubai

“Our first batch of smart robots are already in Dubai and have successfully passed the rigorous quality control,” said Ali.

He said service-oriented robots are becoming more valuable for daily living and the robotics industry will increasingly focus on accelerating comprehensive integration of technology solutions to develop smart, customised service robots.

The robots deployed at Expo were developed at the company’s headquarters in China and shipped to Dubai. They will execute various roles at the event, such as greeting visitors, performing in special displays and providing visitor assistance, as well as helping with food and beverage delivery and hospitality services.

“We believe robots, realised through AI and IoT technologies, will eventually provide foundation services in a futuristic city. Hence, we will see smart hardware, such as robots, becoming part of the infrastructure of futuristic digitalised cities along with AI, 5G, big data, cloud and edge computing (a distributed computing paradigm that brings computation and data storage closer to the sources of data),” said Ali.

The group has signed a long-term lease with District 2020, the legacy district of Expo billed as a city of future, where it will play a role in the digital adoption of the city, particularly with the application of AIoT solutions across hardware and software.

Terminus Technologies will set up an R&D centre and its first headquarters outside of China at District 2020 and will play a leading role as the UAE advances an innovative economy.

Meet the robots

When Expo 2020 opens officially its doors on October 1, visitors will be in for a surprise. If you want to find your way or have a cup of coffee, you can count on these robots.

>> Opti Robot

One of the smart robots Opti is a mascot robot, designed for Expo 2020. It will carry out the crucial task of interacting with visitors and entertaining the tourists from all over the world.

Opti is approximately one metre tall and is equipped with an 18-degree backward angle to enable easy interaction with people. The robot can stand upright for nearly 24 hours, operate in a balanced and safe manner, and move freely in all directions.

A group dance performance by a number of Opti robots will be one of the entertainment highlights of Expo 2020.

>> Patrol Robot

Patrol robots will protect and monitor the Expo site. Equipped with a HD facial recognition camera, real-time thermo camera and SOS button, this robot will be on duty 24 hours a day to remind visitors of safe practices such as social distancing.

It can also use voice recognition to answer your questions, conduct 24/7 monitoring, and provide emergency announcements.

>> Attendant Robot

Attendant robots will guide you to your specific destination. They will be fully equipped with multimedia interaction, including voice interaction with natural language processing, face detection, facial recognition and a multi-touch graphical user interface (GUI).

They will also have the ability to display images, text, audio and video to visitors to access and receive the necessary information.

>> Delivery Robot

These robots will be dispatched to carry goods and other kinds of materials around the site.

They have an automatic weight detection system and can return to re-stock goods, when required, as well as re-charge.

This model can also use voice recognition to respond to your questions.

>> Vending Trolley

Vending trolleys are a kind of delivery robot and can be converted to perform different roles at the Expo 2020.

These can be fitted with racks to carry visitor guides, reading materials or maps. Apart from that, they can also carry a poster frame, baskets, and catering trays.