Interactive Robots and Media Lab

Last updated

The Interactive Robots and Media Lab (IRML) is a research laboratory, originally hosted at the College of IT of the United Arab Emirates University in Al-Ain, Abu Dhabi Emirate, UAE, then moved on to the CSE facilities of New York University Abu Dhabi. Starting January 2013 IRML is expanding, emancipating, and partially commercializing its operations.[ citation needed ]

The laboratory was founded in September 2007 by Nikolaos Mavridis, a PhD holder from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and started operations in February 2008. [1] The main projects underway in the lab (as of December 2009) were two: the Ibn Sina Robot, an android that is able to converse in the Arabic language, as well as the Microsoft-funded FaceBots project, which aimed towards building robots that can sustain long-term relationships with humans through dialogues referencing shared memories and shared friends, while utilizing and depositing social information on the Facebook website. Other projects have started since then; mainly revolving around human-robot interaction, machine perception, and cognitive systems.[ citation needed ]

The lab has also hosted three international research-centric summer schools, which have a special format: they have a duration of one month, most of the time is spent in collaborative team-work on hands-on research projects, carried out in teams of 3-5 members coming from diverse academic levels (post-doctoral, graduate, undergraduate) and countries of origin. Also, the lab has been involved in other activities related to robotics and interactive media, winning for example the "Best Pipe Inspection Robot Design" at the Schlumberger i-Design course competition, [2] and being involved in activities related to winning the bid and preparation for hosting the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) in Abu Dhabi in 2011. [3]

The lab has been featured in regional as well as international news, on venues such as the BBC, [4] Agence France Press (AFP), [5] The UAE National, [6] Al Jazeera TV etc.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of the United Arab Emirates</span> National economy of the United Arab Emirates

The economy of the United Arab Emirates is the 5th largest in the Middle East, with a gross domestic product (GDP) of US$503 billion in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Arab Emirates</span> Country in Western Asia

The United Arab Emirates, or simply the Emirates, is a country in Western Asia. It is located at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula and shares borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia, while having maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran. Abu Dhabi is the nation's capital, while Dubai, the most populated city, is an international hub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abu Dhabi International Airport</span> Largest airport serving Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi International Airport is an international airport in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan</span> Emirati politician

Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan KBE, often referred to as Sheikh Mansour, is an Emirati politician who is the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, minister of presidential affairs, billionaire and member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi. He is the brother of the current President of the UAE, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and is married to one of the daughters of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. Through City Football Group he holds stakes in a variety of football clubs, including Manchester City FC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zayed University</span> Public university based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates

Zayed University is a public university based in the United Arab Emirates. It was established in 1998. It is one of the three government-sponsored higher education institutions in the United Arab Emirates. It is named in honor of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the country's first president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masdar</span>

Masdar,(Arabic:مصدر‎), also known as the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, is a UAE-government owned renewable energy company based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates are migrants or descendants of the Philippines living in the United Arab Emirates. 679,819 Filipinos live in the UAE, of which 450,000 live in Dubai, and they form 6.1% of the whole UAE population, and they form 21.3% of the population of Dubai. Dubai is home to the largest population of Filipinos in the UAE, followed by Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. In 2007, Filipinos in the UAE sent more than US$500 million in remittances back to the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guggenheim Abu Dhabi</span> Art museum in Abu Dhabi,United Arab Emirates

The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is a planned art museum, to be located in Saadiyat Island cultural district in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Upon completion, it is planned to be the largest of the Guggenheim museums. Architect Frank Gehry designed the building. After announcing the museum project in 2006, work on the site began in 2011 but was soon suspended. A series of construction delays followed; the museum is expected to be completed in 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abu Dhabi</span> Capital of the United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi is the capital and second-most populous city of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of the United Arab Emirates</span> Pattern of human activity and symbolism associated with the United Arab Emirates and its people

The Culture of the United Arab Emirates is part of the culture of Eastern Arabia. Its historical population was a small tribal community that changed with the arrival of an influx of foreign nationals in the mid-20th century. Emirati culture is a blend of Arabian, Islamic, and Persian cultures, with influences from the cultures of East Africa and Indian Subcontinent. Islam has had a prominent influence on local architecture, music, attire, cuisine, and lifestyle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Experience Media Studios</span>

Experience Media Studios is a movie and television studio headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is the first movie and television studio organized in the emerging UAE media industry.

The Ibn Sina Robot is the world's first android robot with Arabic language conversational abilities. Created by roboticists Nikolaos Mavridis and Hanson Robotics founder David Hanson at United Arab Emirates University's Interactive Robots and Media Lab, Ibn Sina was named after the famous 11th century Persian polymath (Avicenna). The robot is capable of facial expressions, hand gestures, Arabic language dialogue, face detection and face recognition. It is part of an Interactive Theatre installation, within a circular room with a diameter of 13 meters, containing a stage, a projection screen, and sensors. Experimentation regarding multiple forms of tele-participation in the theatre is taking place; such as live interactions between physically present robots and humans with avatars in online virtual worlds, and remote control of robots through brain-computer interfacing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Habshan–Fujairah oil pipeline</span> Oil pipeline in the UAE

Habshan–Fujairah oil pipeline, also known as "Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP)", is an oil pipeline in the United Arab Emirates. It starts from the Habshan onshore field in Abu Dhabi and runs to Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York University Abu Dhabi</span> Liberal arts and research university in the United Arab Emirates

New York University Abu Dhabi is a degree granting, portal campus of New York University serving as a private, liberal arts college, located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Nikolaos Mavridis is the founder and director of the Interactive Robots and Media Lab (IRML), and a PhD graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology He is also an assistant professor of research at the Computer Science department, New York University Poly, and adjunct researcher at NCSR Demokritos. Before his PhD, he was awarded an M.Sc. from the University of California Los Angeles, and a M. Eng. from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. His research interests include human–robot interaction, and especially verbal and non-verbal communication with robots, artificial intelligence, machine perception, and cognitive systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reem Al Hashimy</span> Emirati Minister of State

Reem Bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy is an Emirati civil servant who is currently serving as the Minister of State for International Cooperation in the United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SeaWorld Abu Dhabi</span> Upcoming amusement park in the United Arab Emirates

SeaWorld Abu Dhabi is an upcoming marine life theme park and animal research, rescue & rehabilitation center that is said to open on May 23, 2023 on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It will be the first SeaWorld park outside of the United States and the first park without killer whales. The Abu Dhabi-based company Miral Asset Management will be the owner and operator of SeaWorld Abu Dhabi under a license from SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two Four 54</span> Media company in Abu Dhabi

twofour54 is a media and entertainment production company located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates that operates several production facilities, houses media companies and freelancers. It is also a media free zone. Many major Hollywood productions have done production work in twofour54's facilities. Their facilities also host the first CNN Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Technology Innovation Institute</span> Research institute

The Technology Innovation Institute (TII) is an Abu Dhabi government funded research institution that operates in the areas of artificial intelligence, quantum computing, autonomous robotics, cryptography, advanced materials, digital science, directed energy and secure systems. The institute is a part of the Abu Dhabi Government’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC).

The Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) is an Abu Dhabi government entity responsible for shaping advanced research and development (R&D) for technology in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

References

  1. ↑ "IRML | Interactive Robots and Media Laboratory" . Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  2. ↑ "Schlumberger Robotics Design Challenge Award". UAEU CIT Events & News. 2009-07-07. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
  3. ↑ "Abu Dhabi wins bid to host World Robotics Olympiad". AME Info. 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
  4. ↑ "Technology | Robot to create Facebook profile". BBC News. 2009-05-06. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
  5. ↑ "Roboter aus dem Morgenland - Avicenna spricht Arabisch". YouTube. 2009-11-07. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
  6. ↑ "Meet the facebots - The National". Thenational.ae. Retrieved 2011-08-08.



This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.