Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH — The impressive show and flexibility of robots drew the attention of participants at the ongoing 6th edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh.
The conference is showcasing the latest inventions that help humanity thrive more. Various types of robots caught the attention of the business leaders and top executives attending the conference, through which they learned about the latest developments in the robotics technology industry.
Since Sophia, a social humanoid robot obtained Saudi citizenship in the FII in October 2017, the presence of robots has increased at an impressive pace in the successive FII conferences, with a noticeable increase in their flexibility and accuracy of response.
Sophia, developed by the Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics company, was in the limelight after becoming the first robot to receive citizenship of any country. One month later, in November 2017 Sophia was named the United Nations Development Program’s first Innovation Champion, being the first non-human to be given a UN title.
The robot ‘SpotMini’, designed in the form of a dog, was presented at the current FII conference with a detailed explanation from the speakers on the range of possibilities offered by the integration of artificial intelligence and robotics technologies. Boston Dynamics introduced SpotMini, its latest robot, an all-electric version of its four-legged spot, which looks a bit like a large dog.
Wide use of artificial intelligence and robotics, and the provision of solutions that help make the world greener, safer and healthier, are among the priorities of the FII conference in addition to focusing on new economies, innovation, job creation, and resource protection while increasing measures to deal with climate and environmental protection.
The application of these technological advances, which are in their initial phase, is likely to continue to affect the areas of transportation, logistics, and construction, and applications for more human tasks will follow in the near future. This is more relevant when considering that the first generation of AI-based robots will have an IQ of 10,000 while humans have a natural IQ of 100.
The use of robotics technology to improve technological environments is the real driver of the artificial intelligence revolution, and the opportunity to combine 3D printing technologies, big data, and robotics, for example, may lead to the automation of healthcare solutions.
