Final tests of Dubai World Challenge for self-driving transport conducted

Dubai - Testing extended for 6 weeks and covered three areas: university robots, university drones, and pioneers robots

The final tests of leading companies and academic institutions that had qualified for the second cycle of the Dubai World Challenge for self-driving transport were carried out recently. Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, director-general, chairman of the board of executive directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), attended part of the tests.

This edition is devoted for self-driving logistics, including ground transport means, and drones. Tests were conducted at Dubai Silicon Oasis in the presence of Dr Mohammed Al Zarooni, vice chairman and CEO of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA).

Al Tayer attended a briefing by Ahmed Hashim Bahrozyan, CEO of Public Transport Agency cum chairman of the organising committee of the Dubai World Congress for self-driving transport, and Khalid Al Awadhi, director of transportation systems cum chairman of the challenge team. The briefing shed light on tests conducted over six weeks at three key places namely university robots test track, university drones test area, and pioneers robots testing area.

The RTA charted out several scenarios that included tests in the presence of fixed and moving obstacles, and virtual ones. Participants were evaluated based on three key elements: the first: safety, which included reliability, visibility handling , interaction with pedestrians, and speed control. The second element was usability, which comprised speed, cargo safety and understandable behaviour. The third element was the level of maturity and included passing the scenario and operator interaction, path planning, detection and prediction.

Five companies participated in the tests of the pioneering company’s category: Neolix from China, ARTI from Austria, iAuto from Taiwan, Yandex from Russia, and Kiwi Bot from the United States of America. In the local university’s category, participants were New York University Abu Dhabi, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Rochester University of Technology in Dubai, American University of Sharjah, University of Sharjah and University of Dubai. Winners will be announced during the Dubai World Challenge for self-driving transport at the end of October.

Al Tayer expressed his pleasure at the great level of projects participating in the challenge and reaching an advanced stage in innovative technologies to provide self-driving logistics services. He stressed that the joint initiatives would open up broad horizons for the development of the logistics sector, through the use of autonomous ground transportation and drones.

Dubai - Logistics Sector