Robots have a field day at the Sharjah book fair

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

This is my first time at the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), says Echo, the life-sized robot at the pavilion of Trends Research & Advisory, the decade-old research institution in Abu Dhabi exhibiting at SIBF 2024.

The male-voiced Echo has a female humanoid robot called Moxy for company, much smaller in size and looking like a local.

Both are willing to answer any question the customer in front throws at them – what books to buy at SIBF or what to have for lunch. Echo can reply in both English and Arabic while the US-made Moxy knows only English.

The blue “abaya-clad” Moxy is an Artificial Intelligence-based cloud which is used to help children with communication issues or improve their skills.

“Moxy can understand the child in front of her,” notes Osama, head of IT at Trends. “Echo has two profiles. One is used in our office in Abu Dhabi to tell customers about Trends which has 15 offices worldwide. The second profile has API (application programming interface) integration with ChatGPT, which helps Echo rattle off on books and food.”

The book fair visitors will be delighted to interact with the robots.

Trends also has Terra, the virtual reality (VR) headset where books and publications of Trends are uploaded in its smart library.

Echo’s precursor was at SIBF last year. Trends, which provides a deep analysis of various issues and development in the Gulf and Middle East, has a two-storey pavilion at SIBF 2024 where the upper floor is used for podcasts.
Echo raises its hand for a handshake at the end of the conversation while Moxy follows instructions and goes off to “sleep”.

SIBF 2024, which will run until November 17, has opened its doors to over 2,520 publishers from 112 countries, and is celebrating Morocco as the Guest of Honour. The 12-day cultural extravaganza, organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, is themed ‘It Starts with a Book’, and has in store 1,357 activities for children and adults alike.