Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence of the United Arab Emirates, visited the sixth and largest edition of the UMEX and SimTEX in Abu Dhabi, which is held under the patronage of Sheikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition with the participation of 214 companies represented by 35 countries.

He was received by  Major General Mubarak Saeed bin Gafan Al Jabri, Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee for UMEX and SimTEX, and by Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, the Managing Director & Group CEO of ADNEC Group.

During his visit to the two exhibitions, Sheikh Nahyan toured the pavilions of the participating national and international companies while being briefed on the latest innovations in unmanned systems, simulation and training, and their multiple uses in the defence, civil and humanitarian fields.

Sheikh Nahyan  expressed his admiration for the unmanned systems and applications provided by UAE institutions and companies, which reflect the progress achieved by the UAE in the unmanned systems sector, which has become a pivotal role in all aspects of life and supports humanitarian efforts.

He also praised the global participation witnessed by the sixth edition of UMEX and SimTEX, which are organised by ADNEC Group in cooperation with the UAE Ministry of Defense and strategic partner EDGE Group.

This is the largest edition of UMEX and SimTEX since its inception, with the total area of the exhibition increasing to 30,000 square metres compared to the 2022 edition, which had 26,200 square metres.

This edition of UMEX and SimTEX featured the launch of five new initiatives, including the Ministry of Defence Coding Challenge Competition, UMEX Commercial Zone, Live Demonstrations held for the first time at ADNEC Grandstand and Marina Channel, UMEX Next_Gen and UMEX Talks.

This week’s UMEX and SimTEX exhibitions have featured the UMEX Talks as a stimulating forum for debate and knowledge-sharing on the unmanned systems sector.

Organised by ADNEC Group and the Ministry of Defence, with EDGE Group as a strategic partner, the Talks were one of the five new features at this year’s exhibitions. With a focus on the potential for AI and robotics to determine the future direction of drones and unmanned systems, the Talks served as an excellent platform for insightful discussions between leading industry executives, specialists and stakeholders in the presence of large audiences.

Day one of the talks featured sessions dealing with market and industry forecasts for autonomous systems, drone endurance, integration and delivery along with a case study on Abu Dhabi’s future public transport network.

A presentation entitled ‘Future of Autonomy in Motion: TXAI’ was delivered by Dr Zhengxiong Yang, Mobility Solution, Architecture Lead at Bayanat. As an artificial intelligence-powered geospatial data products and services provider, Bayanat is the first regional company developing autonomous self-driving taxis to provide Abu Dhabi with smart infrastructure. Brandon Tseng, President and Co-Founder of Shield AI, discussed the work of Shield AI, discussed his company’s work on the integration of AI in military aviation and their increasing adoption in civil aviation due to their cost effectiveness.

Anas Al Otaiba, Director General of the Emirates Defence Companies Council, explained the Council’s work to coordinate and promote the activities of national defence companies in international markets. Dr Abrar Abdel Nabi, Head of Artificial Intelligence at SAL Applied Artificial Intelligence Services, spoke about the integration of AI with unmanned systems to provide reliable sensor data for use in real time.

The Talks’ second day covered the future mobility ecosystem, market-led research and development, sectoral applications in areas such as transport and health, and case studies on serial mapping for accelerated decarbonization and smart safety construction industry.

Dr Roberto Sabatini, Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Khalifa University, discussed the impact of intelligent and autonomous flight systems on the global aviation sector, arguing that automation and AI will be a key enabler in the sector’s transformation. Malik Majali, Technical Manager at SCS, presented insights from his company’s experience in using sensors to detect commercial drones as part of the security measures adopted during the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

The final day of the Talks dealt with smart city infrastructure, autonomous vehicles and risk, and advanced AI in autonomous systems.