From fighting fires to performing surgery: The rise of robots in UAE

These machines can wait tables, dance, and even turn into robocops

It is easy to mistake Cizar for a tall, good-looking Emirati receptionist who is eager to help. At six feet tall and with a sturdy physique covered in a white Kandoora and headdress, Cizar looks every bit cut from the same cloth as any other human being. He can hold the other end of a conversation well, respond to all your questions and can even get angry or upset. He is the first UAE-made humanoid robot that is ready for commercial use.

Action to Action Robotics, the Dubai-based company that launched the humanoid robot last month, and named it after their company CEO, says it is the first in the region ready for production.

“The parts are manufactured in different parts of the world, but we assembled it in our R&D centre in Dubai,” said Rami Kabani, General Manager, MENA.

“What we see in exhibitions are prototypes. But this humanoid is ready for sale and we can take orders and delivery as many of these as per requirements,” Kabani told Khaleej Times.

Cizar can be a receptionist, a secretary, a teller in a bank, a news reader, or even a security guard. “He can be anything that you want him to be. He is intelligent, is capable of machine learning and can speak multiple languages including English, Arabic, Chinese or Russian.”

Robots making a splash in the UAE

Robots are making a splash in the UAE. They are not out there for world domination as some 1980s sci-fi movies had us believe. Instead, they are brewing coffees and busting crimes, delivering food, dousing fire from burning buildings - and even game to get down and groove.

These mean machines are at your beck and call - at restaurants, hospitals, shopping malls, conferences and even in police stations. Highly skilled and sophisticated, robots are helping companies serve their customers better and quicker, and of course, giving their human counterparts a run for their money.

With the UAE all pumped to become an innovative economy leading in AI, Machine Learning, and Robotics, robots are taking on a growing range of professional tasks across various sectors in the country.

Robots that serve

Robots were introduced as a fad in some retail outlets in the UAE a few years ago. But the service industry has warmed up to having robots to replace waiters and salesmen to serve customers. Currently, there are several outlets in the country where robots serve customers.

Recently, Lulu Group, the UAE-based retail giant, have introduced robots to their newly-opened hypermarket located at Sharjah’s Bu Tina area. The robot, developed by US-based Purple Cloud, can serve meals to the customers on their tables after they make an order.