The paths of these two stars have intersected on several occasions due to their association with the luxury brand Bulgari
entertainment6 hours ago
Around 10,000 Ghaf trees will soon dot the green belt of Sharjah’s Mleiha desert, thanks to the high-tech drones that did the job and planted the seeds in just a few hours. Taking the tech even further, the start-up behind the project is now getting ready to move beyond ghaf and let the drones plant other native seeds.
It would normally take months to plant thousands of trees in the desert by hand. But Dubai-based tech firm Cafu has found a way to speed up the entire process by using unique seedballs. These were then dispatched in the desert by a highly sophisticated multi-rotor drone.
Cafu had earlier announced that its mega plan to plant one million Ghaf trees via drones in two years. On Monday, it said it had already completed two rounds of planting over 10,000 seeds in the desert this year. Since they started the project, the team has continuously developed its technologies. Now, it is using a first-of-its-kind planting mechanism designed by Cafu engineers.
The ghaf tree seed project is the brainchild of Rashid Al Ghurair, founder and CEO of Cafu.
Speaking at a conference where the team demonstrated how the artificial intelligence-powered drones work, Cafu’s sustainability and community manager Nabra Al Busaidi said: “In 2019, we did surface seeding, but with research and development over the past year, we learnt a smarter way of the germination process using seed balls that will protect the seed from getting spoilt...We then used our in-house custom built multipurpose drone to drop these seed balls in the soil at a certain pace so it penetrates to a depth of 1cm below the ground...
“We have accomplished a major milestone through the drone-tech powered planting, and we are ready to scale this project to explore other native UAE seed types.”
Ahmed Borik, a systems engineer at Cafu, said: “After much research, we built a multi-rotor drone with a payload that enables it to accelerate and automate the planting of ghaf tree seedballs in the desert. Our team of engineers and technology experts have designed and developed a pioneering in-house pressurised air mechanism built into the drone, which shoots the seedballs to the required depth, while also geo-tagging the location to track its progress.
“So far, the team have undergone two rounds of planting in the Mleiha Desert and expect germination over the coming months.”
To take this project to the next level, the firm has now partnered with the UAE University, where the company is offering students internship to involve the youth in the fight against climate change. Other important partners supporting the firm in the project include Sanad Academy; the Environment and Protected Areas Authority; Department of Civil Aviation Sharjah; and UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure.
saman@khaleejtimes.com
The paths of these two stars have intersected on several occasions due to their association with the luxury brand Bulgari
entertainment6 hours ago
The students' demands range from a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas to calls for universities to stop investing in Israeli enterprises
world6 hours ago
Despite Kohli's flowing form ahead of the T20 World Cup in June, pundits have raised concerns over his strike-rate
cricket7 hours ago
Saudi Arabia has begun to explore extracting lithium from sea water
business7 hours ago
Speaking after meeting Lebanese leaders, French foreign minister says there had been "a lot of progress" over the French proposals
mena7 hours ago
The three-shot winner from Japan says he is aiming to become a member of the PGA Tour in the future
sports7 hours ago
Big-hitting Nienaber falters at the finish to settle for secondwhile former Abu Dhabi resident David Horsey takes the third spot at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club
sports8 hours ago
The UAE is India's second-largest export destination after the US
economy8 hours ago