UAE to have its first AI driver evaluation hub

Inayat-ur-Rahman, Gulf Today

The UAE is all set to have its first Artificial Intelligence (AI) driver evaluation hub using the latest technology that will enable a data-based driver evaluation enhancing  the existing procedures with a much deeper, biometric, insight into the drivers’ behaviour.

Similar in magnitude of analysis to the medical tests, the smart AI system aims at qualifying each driver KPIs on the basis of their detailed psycho-physical characteristics and ability to cope with critical road scenarios within less than 30 minutes.

Dubai-based company Location Solutions is officially entering into an exclusive partnership with Slovenian hi-tech companies AV Living Lab and Nervtech, to bring the first AI Driver Evaluation Hub to the UAE this year.

Improving the human factor in traffic will eventually enable happier and safe experience for the road participants and help improve the situation with the traffic congestion in Dubai. In doing this, Location Solutions strives to help achieve the goals of UAE Vision 2021, RTA Vision 2024 and bring closer the vision of zero-casualty and knowledge-based society in Dubai and the UAE.

AI-based Driving Evaluation Hub is a complete end-to-end solution, where motion driving simulators, biometric data collections, real road scenarios in digital twins, and cognitive AI & Machine Learning algorithms work together to help improve, train and integrate drivers into advanced Dubai road transport network.

The technology has been developed and patented by the Nervtech AI scientists in collaboration with Stanford University and Virginia Tech. Nervtech AI Evaluation System has been successfully tested by the Red Bull Racing Team receiving their praise for being the closest to the real road experience.

Zaim Azrak, CEO and Founder of Location Solutions told Gulf Today that Tokyo (for its Olympics) and London (for its bus fleet) have both lined up to implement the system.

Azrak added that he is confident that it is Dubai that will become the first Global Digital AI Driver Evaluation Capital thanks to its progressive leadership.

“With Expo 2020 in sight, Location Solutions considers now to be the best time to deploy the system to help assess taxi, limo and bus drivers to improve the road safety and EXPO visitor travel experience. During Expo 2020, Dubai will gain 25 million visits from all around the world over a period of 6 months. Moving them across various sites and venues will be crucial to their happy experience of the UAE, with taxi, limo and bus drivers being among the first and most important Ambassadors of Dubai hospitality.”

Moving further, the first Global AI-Based Driver Evaluation Hub will help transform and digitalize the transportation system of the city and country according to the National Priorities of the UAE Vision 2021 and Smart Dubai Strategy 2021.

Commenting on the partnership, Azrak mentioned that they are glad to have identified an excellent, unique, and innovative technology that will put Dubai as a global leader in road safety and smart mobility using AI for Driver Evaluation. We are happy to partner with AV Living Lab and Nervtech to bring this technology to Dubai and help achieve Dubai Vision and RTA Vision 2024. This will make Dubai the leader in seamless and sustainable mobility.

Daniel Avdagic, CEO AV Living Lab said that billions are invested into autonomous, connected, shared and electric mobility. Meanwhile, there is still a lack of investments into the drivers, which would give immediate effect, meaning the human factor in the present is often forgotten. Our goal is to bring AI-based mobility solutions to improve road safety and sustainable mobility - today. Matej Vengust, CEO Nervtech, said: We are moving from vehicle-centric solutions to human-centric solutions, in order to tackle and resolve the human factor in mobility, which is the main contributor to accidents on the road and traffic congestions.

Tomaz Kostanjevec, PhD, Acting CEO, SPIRIT Slovenija, Slovenia government’s business development and investment agency mentioned that Slovenia has started with AI research in 1972, when Jozef Stefan Institute (JSI) started its research in this field. We are proud that in 2020 we established the International Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI), the first UNESCO-sponsored global AI research center.

“All this enables our AI ecosystem to thrive, creating cutting-edge solutions, such as AI-based Driver Evaluation Hub, which will be showcased on Expo 2020.”