UAE University's projects draw 'Royal' attention at IDEX 2005

His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior and His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan , Minister of Education and Chancellor of UAEU, who visited the UAE University stall were shown the various projects that were developed by University students and faculty. They spent nearly 15 minutes interacting with the students and seemed to be particularly interested in the University's award wining 'Smart Box jointly developed by the College of Information Technology and IBM'.

The UAE University (UAEU) showcased eight projects, from the College of Information Technology, College of Engineering and Faculty of Medicine & Health Science, including the 'Smart Box' and the 'Sindbad Robot' that were developed by the students and the faculties of the University. Another notable project was the Focused Sonography for Trauma (FAST) in Disaster situations like armed conflicts. A common theme of the projects showcased is primarily safety - that would make a marked difference to the lives of people.

His Excellency Dr. Hadef Bin Jouaan Al-Dhahiri, Vice Chancellor of UAE University said, 'The University is extremely delighted and honored at the enthusiastic response that its projects received at IDEX especially the special interest taken by their Royal Highnesses . We believe that this will go along way in highlighting the resource competency and the research capability of the University. UAEU has been associating itself with such prestigious events where our future technocrats and scientists get the opportunity to interact with extremely competent professionals and get exposed to the best operational practices.'

UAEU's award winning Smart Box that proved to be a major draw at IDEX is a device that alerts the driver via voice technology whenever a vehicle is crossing the speed limit of a particular street. The aim of this project is to assist drivers on the roads by using GSM/GPRS technologies. Also on display will be 'Sinbad' a robot that can travel from any start position to a predetermined destination using the guidance of signals transmitted by several satellites orbiting in the space, known as global positioning system (GPS). Incidentally the name comes from resemblance with the method followed by the legendary character of Sinbad who used the stars in the sky as a guide in his travels

UAEU showcased the FAST project developed by an interdisciplinary group led by Dr. Abu-Zidan which generated immense interest from the visitors to IDEX. The high casualty rate in remote areas during times of disaster is attributed to the unavailability of routine radiological diagnostical tools. FAST is a portable, lightweight and improved system that aids in providing objective information on injured victims. In this instance, the discovery of blood in the abdomen and chest can lead to appropriate and timely definitive care.

The University presented its study on road safety which experimentally investigated the source of risk factors associated with the use of hands free mobile phone in the traffic situation and, in particular, the effects of engaging in a conversation over limited bandwidth channels used in mobile phones and the intensity of the conversation on the sustained attention necessary for safe driving.

UAE University has been partnering and actively participating in numerous regional and internationally prestigious events. The University was awarded the 'Best Technology' for their 'Smart Box' at the recently concluded 'Environment 2005' last month.