Dubai has signed three agreements to develop technology-driven solutions for self-driving transport at the Dubai World Congress and Challenge for Self-Driving Transport.
The first agreement was signed between Careem and Kiwibot to develop food and grocery delivery robots. The second one was made between Majid Al Futtaim and Yandex to explore independent technology solutions to enhance the scope of the last-mile delivery of Carrefour orders. The third agreement was between Noon, Neolix and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) to provide self-driving logistical services within RIT campus.
The agreement between Careem and Kiwibot entails the introduction of robot delivery for food and grocery items across residential areas in Dubai, the first of its kind in the region. Together with Kiwibot, Careem will launch a pilot program to study the feasibility of the market and assess the best geographical locations. College campuses and highly dense residential areas are primary locations for the program.
Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail, and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia, has announced its collaboration with Yandex, one of the largest IT companies in Europe, to explore autonomous technology solutions to enhance Carrefour’s last-mile delivery capabilities and to deliver orders using self-driving technology.
The agreement between Noon, Neolix and Rochester Institute of Technology entails operating Neolix-manufactured autonomous vehicles to provide self-driving logistical services and deliver Noon products to customers, at the Rochester Institute of Technology campus in Dubai.
Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of the Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), who attended the concluding event of the Congress stressed that the signing of the agreements boosts the global profile of Dubai in developing pioneering solutions for self-driving transport that support the last-mile journeys to deliver items to customers.
He said that Dubai’s Smart Self-Driving Transport Strategy aimed to convert 25 percent of total mobility journeys in Dubai to self-driving transport by 2030.
“These agreements are part of Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport outcomes, which sets a global platform for companies, academia, and R&D centres to run case scenarios and introduce self-driving transport technologies in Dubai,” Al Tayer said. “It also contributes to broadening the use of autonomous transport means, and encouraging entities to tackle the existing challenges.”