Category: Information

NEW YORK: A fireball in the sky caused a sensation in New York as it passed over the city in broad daylight on Tuesday, German News Agency (DPA) reported.

The phenomenon was a meteor, the US space agency NASA announced on Facebook early Wednesday, a trail of light that is created when rock debris from space enters the Earth’s atmosphere.

The analysis of witness reports suggests that the streak of light became visible over the city on Tuesday morning and then travelled west at a speed of around 61,000 kilometres per hour towards the state of New Jersey.

The phenomenon was accompanied by thunder-like noises and tremors similar to an earthquake, local media reported, citing eyewitness accounts. However, NASA said they could have been due to military activity in the area.

Chunks of rock like the one that caused the streak of light over New York only have a diameter of around 30 centimetres, NASA said. Such cosmic particles usually burn up completely before they hit the ground and are therefore not dangerous.

Source: Emirates News Agency

GENEVA: The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has issued its annual report on the incidence of sand and dust storms, as well as their impacts on society.

While dust concentrations in the most impacted areas remained above the long-term average in 2023, they were slightly lower compared to 2022.

The report, titled “Airborne Dust Bulletin,” highlights the most severe storm of the year, which struck Mongolia in March 2023. This massive storm covered over 4 million square kilometers and impacted 20 provinces in China. The bulletin’s release coincides with the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms, observed annually on 12th July.

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said, ‘We need to be vigilant in the face of continuing environmental degradation and current and future climate change. Scientific evidence shows that human activities are having an impact on sand and dust storms. For example higher temperatures, drought and higher evaporation lead to lower soil moisture. Combined with poor land
management, this is conducive to more sand and dust storms.’

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI: The UAE’s Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications Office, the Mastercard Centre for Advanced AI and Cyber Technology in Dubai and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) have announced the launch of their inaugural “AI Challenge”.

In line with the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, the initiative seeks to fuel the growth of the UAE’s thriving AI landscape and foster new opportunities for AI-focused businesses and talent.

Saqr Binghalib, Executive Director of UAE’s Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications Office, said, “The UAE government focuses on strengthening partnerships with leading technology companies, innovators and talent who seek to drive the nation’s progress and prosperity journey. Its efforts aim to advance technological progress, shape the future of artificial intelligence and consolidate the UAE’s position at the forefront of leading countries in future fields.

“The AI Challenge will contribute to attracting innovators and talented
individuals to enhance the country’s coding community and create a nurturing and stimulating environment for them to use the best of their abilities to shape a brighter future for our society.”

J.K. Khalil, Division President, East Arabia, Mastercard, said, “AI is fast becoming one of the greatest game changers of our time, reshaping the way we handle our finances, conduct business and interact with the global economy. At Mastercard, we are dedicated to harnessing AI as a force for good, and we wholeheartedly support the UAE’s vision to spearhead innovation in this space.

The AI Challenge is a natural extension of our innovation-driven partnerships with the UAE’s Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications Office and FAB that builds on our shared commitment to supporting the country’s thriving startup scene.”

The challenge invites seed and Series A startups to propose innovative AI-driven solutions in cybersecurity, generative AI in banking and finance, customer lifecycle manageme
nt, productivity enhancement, emerging fintech, and ESG. The competition will culminate in a pitch day, during which finalists will be assessed by a panel of experts from the three partners.

The winner will receive a cash prize of US$150,000, access to Mastercard’s global sponsorships, events, and priceless assets, and an accelerated enrolment into its award-winning global startup engagement programme, Start Path.

Start Path helps startups scale their business through mentoring, innovation opportunities and engagement with the technology company’s global network of banks, merchants, partners and digital players.

Since 2014, Mastercard has supported over 400 startups from 54 countries through Start Path, which have already secured more than $25 billion in post-programme capital.

Interested applicants can register for the AI Challenge at https://mstr.cd/3XIQuWF by 25th August 2024.

Last year, Mastercard launched the Centre for Advanced AI and Cyber Technology in Dubai in collaboration with the UAE’s Artifi
cial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications Office. The project seeks to enhance AI capabilities and readiness in the region.

The global technology company also has a long-term partnership with FAB that focuses on co-creating disruptive products and services powered by advanced technology.

Source: Emirates News Agency

TIANJIN: Chinese researchers have recently developed a brain-on-a-chip intelligent interaction system, shedding new light on brain-computer interface research, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The system, MetaBOC, enables a brain organoid to autonomously control robots for tasks such as obstacle avoidance, tracking and grasping, completing inspired work of various brain-like computing.

The brain-on-a-chip consists of two components: the electrode chip and the in vitro-cultured brain tissue. This brain organoid is created through stem cell culture technology and possesses some of the intelligent functions of a biological brain.

By equipping it with an electrode chip, scientists can control it to send signals to the outside, thereby achieving specific functions.

Unlike traditional technologies that primarily use the human brain or other biological brains as experimental subjects, the brain-on-a-chip has emerged as an important new branch in the field of brain-computer interfaces, said Ming Dong, Vice President
of Tianjin University.

Ming noted that the research is expected to have a revolutionary impact on developing cutting-edge scientific fields such as hybrid intelligence and brain-like computing.

Source: Emirates News Agency

SHANGHAI: The 2024 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance have come to a successful conclusion. Compared with previous years, this year the exhibition lasted one more day and ended on Sunday, 7th July.

Since currently it is the summer vacation, the Ai-powered education exhibits attracted many visitors.

According to the SMG report, the scientific experiments, model building, and exercise conducted on tablets at China’s inaugural multi-scenario educational exhibits were remarkably attention-grabbing.

Nowadays, many educational artificial intelligence large-model technology products have been widely used both at home and in school. Dialogue tutoring, oral practice and reading comprehension applications are for home learning, whereas homework correction, academic analysis and question-answer tutoring are used mostly in schools. At present, educational artificial intelligence products have been deployed in more than 3,000 schools across the country, benefiting more than 2 million s
tudents of all ages.

With the continuous iteration of artificial intelligence plus education, technological innovation and educational practice keep integrating. How to locate the right role of AI in education and maximize its effectiveness are the most important topics in the future.

Among the artificial intelligence education bases for primary and secondary schools announced by China’s Ministry of Education, 6 primary and secondary schools in Shanghai were selected. Based on the influence and radiation effect of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, Shanghai is attracting guests from all over China and the world to jointly explore the Shanghai solutions to cultivate and nurture the next generation of top talents.

Source: Emirates News Agency

BEIJING: Chinese scientists from the Beijing Institute of Technology have achieved precise navigation of nano-kirigami microrotors for the first time by using innovative technologies such as optoelectronic tweezers with multimode control, providing new solutions for future advanced optoelectronic micro/nanomachines.

According to China Central Television (CCTV), micro/nano manufacturing denotes industrial technologies operating at the micro- and nanoscales. For example, the fabrication of microchips entails intricate and precise manufacturing processes at the nanoscale.

Professor Li Jiafang from the School of Physics demonstrated the manufacturing, extraction, transfer, and manipulation of nano-kirigami microrotors. Under a microscope, a rotor with a diameter of only 10 micrometres was erected from a flat state and rolled in different directions under the control of optoelectronic tweezers.

“We know that the optical tweezers won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics. It has the capability to control translation i
n a back-and-forth manner and the rotational transmission of the structure. However, it did not realise the control of a motion state, which is rolling. In this work, we have successfully utilised optical techniques to achieve control over the rolling movement of the structure,” he explained.

Li also introduced that the size of a nano-kirigami microrotor is approximately one-tenth the diameter of a human hair. Such tiny components cannot be manufactured and manipulated using conventional machine tools like lathes. To overcome the challenge, they leveraged the unique physical properties of nano-kirigami and employed optoelectronic tweezers for non-contact manipulation. Furthermore, they achieved the automatic control of the microrotor by programming the optical beam patterns.

“First of all, it can be driven with optical techniques. Secondly, it can be assembled. For instance, it can be assembled into a double-sided structure or arranged in overlapping patterns to enable interactive and interconnected functio
nalities,” Li said.

Experts also stated that the achievement makes it easier for humans to control the complex movements of micro/nano devices, providing a fresh perspective for future research in areas such as optically driven micro/nano robots and novel micro/nano opto-electro-mechanical systems.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI: Lockheed Martin recently inducted its largest-ever summer internship cohort in the UAE at the Centre for Innovation and Security Solutions (CISS) in Abu Dhabi.

The merit-based programme welcomed 32 students from leading UAE universities, significantly expanding the company’s investment in Emiratisation and human capital development efforts within the aerospace and defence industry.

About 50 percent of the new interns are women, 70 percent are Emirati citizens, and 30 percent represent nine countries across four continents, reflecting the UAE’s diverse talent pool.

Over three months, the students will be immersed in hands-on experiences, working on real-world projects. The programme helps bridge the gap between academic learning and industry application so that graduates are well-prepared to make meaningful professional contributions.

“This record-breaking cohort of interns highlights our commitment to developing future UAE leaders, scientists, and engineers to take up critical positions within
our programmes at Lockheed Martin and across the wider aerospace and defence industry,” said Gen. John ‘Mick’ Nicholson (U.S. Army, Ret.), chief executive, Lockheed Martin Middle East. ‘By providing these students with specialist training and mentoring opportunities, we are inspiring and equipping the next generation of innovators who will help shape the future of global security.’

During their tenure, the interns will work closely with experts from Lockheed Martin on various projects, including artificial intelligence algorithms to automate foreign object debris identification in critical environments, interdisciplinary research, modelling and simulation efforts related to advanced defence systems, and space exploration initiatives.

“We are very pleased to welcome such a diverse and talented group of students to our team,” said Hala Majeed Al Zargani, manager, Lockheed Martin CISS. ‘Our goal is to provide a transformative experience that not only broadens their technical knowledge but also encourages innov
ative thinking and problem-solving skills that will be crucial in tackling complex challenges in the future.’

Lockheed Martin is committed to developing a pipeline of skilled professionals ready to meet the future demands of the aerospace and defense industry. The company’s UAE-based internship program, which began in the summer of 2017 with just four students, has steadily grown into a year-round endeavour with additional sessions held in the spring and fall.

Overall, in 2024, the company expects to graduate more than 50 interns and will double its training capacity in the years to come as part of its broader strategy to invest in UAE education and human capital development.

Source: Emirates News Agency