To celebrate the wins of two innovative projects in the national category of the UAE Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics for Good Award and the UAE Drones for Good Award, American University of Sharjah (AUS) held a special ceremony on campus today February 22. The winning projects, developed by AUS faculty members and students from the College of Engineering and the School of Business Administration, received AED one million each.

Dr. Björn Kjerfve, Chancellor of AUS, congratulated the winners on their achievement and said that the university was proud of their success. "I'm looking forward to following your success as you develop your ideas into truly commercial and successful businesses," he said addressing the award winners. "As you know, we are transforming the university in the next five years into becoming a research university. We need to recognize and move people like you forward through the education process and practical innovation ideas," he added.

Dr. Leland blank, Interim Provost, also spoke on the occasion and congratulated the winners. "We are very proud of you as young entrepreneurial innovative engineers and it's fantastic to have both business and engineering win two awards here at AUS," he said.

Launched by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and organized by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Fund, the UAE AI and Robotics Award provides a global platform for innovative technological ideas in areas of education, health and social services, and honors the best application of robotics and AI in the service of humanity. In addition, the UAE Drones for Good Award is set as a platform dedicated to change innovative technologies behind civilian drones into practical, possible solutions for the immediate purpose of improving people's lives.

"I have a lot of respect for people who put themselves out there in a competition like this as it takes a lot of effort and dedication," said Dr. Richard Schoephoerster, Dean of the College of Engineering. "We aren't just creating a classroom experience here at AUS, but also a real world experience."

Dr. Mohsen Saad, Associate Dean of the School of Business Administration (SBA) said, "It's a wonderful thing to see our SBA student win the UAE Drones for Good Award. We believe in every student and winning this competition give us everything we are trying to achieve. Mohammad Aziz focused on three important aspects in his project which included the commercial side, applied engineering, and the cause itself, which is saving lives."

The team members of the UAE AI and Robotics for Good Award included Dr. Mamoun Abdel-Hafez, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering; Dr. Shayok Mukhopadhyay, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering; Dr. Mohammad Jaradat, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Wasim Al-Masri, Laboratory Instructor; and Danial Waleed, an AUS graduate student in the Mechatronics Engineering program.

Their project, "In-pipe Inspection Robot," focuses on problems the oil and gas industry faces as its pipelines become susceptible to leaks and failures. Through using a robust navigation and leak detection algorithm, the winning AUS team aims to navigate a pipeline inspection robot to correctly locate and detect defects in the pipelines. The outcomes of the project have the potential to positively impact the UAE's economy through helping to ensure speedy, efficient and reliable pipelines.

The winning project for the UAE Drones for Good Award was led by Sanad Academy, a startup company established by Mohammed Aziz, an AUS finance major, and Mansour Al Blooshi. Their project, entitled "Sanad Smart Ring," is a ring infused with smart chipsets in its body that can fly to drowning victims as an emergency response. It works by enabling GPS positioning and radio communication with tablets, computers and transmitters, with waterproof cameras installed in its frame to provide live feed within the ring.

The ceremony was also attended by other senior AUS officials.