At GITEX this year, Etisalat showcased some truly innovative solutions and products. From autonomous vehicles to IoT-powered solutions, Etisalat has reconsolidated its importance in the innovation space.
The telco’s theme for this year is ‘Empowering the Digital Future & Beyond’ is all about the convergence of 5G, big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) bringing people, devices and systems even closer together.
Hyundai SA-1 Uber Taxi
Etisalat showcased the Hyundai SA-1 Uber Taxi which was the highlight at CES 2020 and the most innovative concept at the global event. This futuristic mode of transportation technology is set to be a trendsetter in the sector as it provides a futuristic, autonomous means of transport, coupled with Etisalat’s advanced network and infrastructure.
With the advent of 5G, this is going to be a great use vase through which consumers can enjoy the benefits that come with it such as ultra-low latency and superfast speeds.
This flying taxi was developed in collaboration with Uber and is set to transform the future of urban transportation. This fully electric car takes 5 to 7 minutes to recharge, with speeds of up to 180 miles per hour and flies distances up to 60 miles at an altitude of 1000 to 2000 feet.
Aircar
Another highlight from Etisalat’s GITEX exhibit this year is the autonomous, all-electric, human carrying flying car which uses AI to fly the aircraft safely in the air and around other airborne vehicles. The vehicle takes commands from its passengers too. It is able to fly up to 72km/charge and its battery package can be changed in a matter of minutes.
This futuristic concept in mobility is in line with the UAE’s aims for the future of transport.
BMW M-Vision iNEXT & Vision DC Roadser
This was indeed a significant showcase for the telco as it worked in collaboration with BMW to fully power connectivity services for teleservices, intelligence emergency call system, news and weather updates, real-time traffic information. It also enables BMW’s concierge, an in-car service which is available 24/7.
Etisalat has fully integrated the BMW eSim platform which enables the company to connect with ConnectedDrive vehicles, providing BMW’s UAE customers with an enhanced driving experience. The futuristic concept in mobility, couple with the telco’s 5G network, boasts high speeds and low latency which enables them to be much smarter, safer and faster.
Panasonic autonomous wheelchair (CSR)
Etisalat’s healthcare exhibit truly showcased the extent to which healthcare can be revolutionized through these of cloud, M2M, AI, IoT, blockchain and start-of-the-art connectivity including 5G. The showcases that were presented in this section included solutions for early prevention and diagnosis, timely treatment and are, health monitoring, patient empowerment and engagement, among many others.
This technology was a prime example of ‘Technology for Good’, which has always been a major focus for Etisalat. These transformative technology would enhance the lives of the differently-abled, adding a layer of convenience to their lives.
The self-driving electric wheelchair is capable of independently detecting and avoiding collisions with other people whilst the user is on the way to their destination. The fully autonomous wheelchair is capable of going anywhere, anytime and to any place. This advanced model is currently being used in airports across Japan.
Open Bionics- Hero Arm
This showcase is yet another example of ‘Technology for Good’ which also falls in line with Etisalat’s goals of fostering the next generation of entrepreneurs and building an ecosystem to enable the development of futuristic innovations.
The hero arm, the world’s first medically approved 3D printed bionic arm, with multi-grip functionality, can grab, pinch, high-five and fist bump.
ZoraBots Aimbot Robot
Aimbot Robot is an indoor intelligent and autonomous anti-epidemic robot designed and built for virus prevention. It is equipped with rich functional modules and multiple sensors that allows it to navigate autonomously, interact with people, measure body temperature, detect improperly-protected individuals and automatically sprays disinfectant in indoor space.
Aimbot is being used by various companies globally and has been deemed one of the best robotic solutions in the fight against the current threat of COVID-19.
Access Control and Students Attendance with AI
With Etisalat’s advanced network and technologies, they were exhibiting some solutions which would essentially aid in the personalization of education and ensure greater and easier access to students with special needs. Their technologies in this space also contribute to task automation and helped enable the continuation and enrichment of education during the pandemic.
The AI-powered access control and student attendance solution sets up face readers which can be linked to the attendance server and the existing camera to detect faces which provide insight into active and non-active students.
Neuro Education
Another innovative use case here was the neuro education and mental performance solution. They track the attention and focus of the student as well as their mental state and workload. Eye tracking of students with the AI solution will provide teachers with insights into whether the students are focusing or not, making it the perfect solution for the detection and understanding of disabilities.
Smart Retail
The smart retail section of their exhibit has solutions for the Food and Beverage industry as well as lifestyle, connected fashion and a retail dashboard. The future of retail is all about 5G connectivity, backend retail solutions, facial recognition payment solutions, applications development, new and advanced payment solutions, learn customer behaviors by adding prevention & loss solution.
At GITEX this year, Etisalat emphasized its focus on advanced use cases of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning and Computer Vision in the form of innovative solutions for retail businesses.
All the solutions have been integrated with Etisalat’s Payments functionality in order to demonstrate our capability of providing complete end-to-end solutions in this domain with enhancements like wearables and facial recognition for payments.
One of the highlights from the showcase of this section was the world’s first robotic kitchen. Kitchen-Bot is comprised of two robotic arms in a specially designed kitchen, which includes a stove top, utensils and a sink, the device is able to reproduce the movements of a human chef in order to create a meal from scratch.
Aside from this, Etisalat also designed a retail back office, which goes to show the telco’s focus on driving intelligence to optimize the business with AI capabilities, identify trends within data-sets and explore data. This showcase enhances customer journey providing insights into consumer journey and engagement with the brand.
Grand Connect builds connected IoT based ecosystem of hardware and software on market-proven retail industry use cases such as ‘Smart Dressing Rooms’, ‘Smart Staffing’, and ‘Smart Digital Signage’.
Etisalat has long been at the forefront of innovation, not just in the region but also across the world. Having the fastest network in the world just goes to show the telco’s relentless dedication to providing their customer with nothing but the best in connectivity and digital solutions.
