What are unmanned vehicle systems? Oman to host major conference next week

Muscat: The College of Engineering at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) will organize the first of its kind in the region international conference on unmanned vehicle systems or drones next week.

The conference will be held from February 5 to 7. 

Highlighting the importance of this conference, Dr Ahmed bin Saeed al Maashari, assistant professor, department of electrical and computer engineering and automated systems, said, this vehicle is not limited to military purposes.

“A roving robot can be used to clean houses without human intervention, while an unmanned aircraft and remotely guided drones can be used by amateur photographers effectively to take pictures.

Drones can be also used in disaster-stricken areas for search and rescue operations.”

He said the vehicles can be classified many ways – A wireless remote control to steer an unmanned aircraft, self-driving cars. The second type is the most difficult in terms of development and implementation because the vehicle relies on a complex set of Artificial Intelligence systems. There is also a classification of vehicles that can be used for in sea, subsea, atmosphere and space. “Unmanned vehicles may be also for various civilian and military purposes such, imaging, topography, ocean exploration, air defense, missile guidance and mine detection, he said. An unmanned aerial vehicle is equipped with a specialized camera for geo-surveys, or a ground vehicle may be equipped with a remote automatic sampling arm. In its first session, the conference seeks to introduce unmanned vehicle systems and their uses. It also aims to encourage interaction between those interested in this field and to discuss ways of cooperation between different parties interested in these techniques.

Al Maashari said, “There is a need to raise awareness about these systems and their use for multiple purposes. The economic benefits expected from these systems should also be defined.”

He said there is a need to encourage students of schools and universities to participate in robotics and unmanned vehicle competitions to spread the knowledge of these systems.