Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, October 10, 2024: World-renowned experts and talents from Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) – the world's first graduate-level research university dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI) – will introduce research and demonstrate robotics solutions at the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), the leading global robotics event taking place this year in Abu Dhabi from October 14-18.

MBZUAI has attracted global experts to lead its efforts in robotics and research. Professor Yoshihiko Nakamura, widely hailed as a legend in the field of robotics, joined as professor and department chair of robotics, and Professor Sami Haddadin has joined the university as the vice president for research and professor of robotics.

Professor Nakamura is a renowned expert in humanoid robotics and biomechanics, with research focusing on human-digital-twin technology and human-robot interaction. Professor Haddadin, the founding director of Europe’s largest robotics and machine intelligence institute, widely considered as one of the worldwide leading institutions, is widely recognized for his work in robots with a sense of touch, robot learning, and robot safety.

“At MBZUAI, we are committed to bringing together the most talented minds globally, and the addition of Professor Sami Haddadin and Professor Yoshihiko Nakamura strengthens our mission to lead in cutting-edge AI and robotics research. These distinguished pioneers are not only advancing the frontiers of their fields but also fostering deep interdisciplinary collaborations across our institution. Their innovative work will undoubtedly accelerate real-world applications that benefit society. As we expand our robotics department and welcome our first cohort of students, it's an exhilarating time at MBZUAI, where the future of robotics is being shaped,” said Professor Eric Xing, president and university professor at MBZUAI.

MBZUAI at IROS

Plenary Talk

Professor Yoshihiko Nakamura

Embodiment of AI and Biomechanics/Neuroscience

Oct. 17, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Lecture

Professor Sami Haddadin

Tutorial Foundations of Interaction Control for Contact Robots: Energy-based Methods and Interactive Learning

Oct. 14, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Demonstrations

• Robotic ‘Dog Bot’ whose potential applications include inspecting work sites, assisting the police in patrolling neighborhoods, and surveying agricultural sites. Powered by a large multimodal model developed at MBZUAI, it combines image, text, and audio capabilities, allowing speech and vision recognition and understanding and audio response. As part of the demo, a member of the MBZUAI team will control the robot via a mobile app, showing its ability to understand its visual surroundings and act on instructions.
• Immersive robot command center that could be deployed for monitoring industrial environments, assisting workers and surveillance. It uses a Unitree robot dog equipped with a 360-degree camera to stream video onto a large LED wall display. Users can either control the robot using a game controller or instruct it to perform tasks via voice commands.
• Generative AI technology called VOODOO that can instantly create a full 3D avatar head of a person from a single photo. Users can automatically control the avatar using a webcam in real-time. The solution will be integrated with an Oculus Quest Pro VR headset, enabling immersive telepresence communication between two people in remote locations.

Visitors to IROS can find MBZUAI at Booth 6 at ADNEC in Abu Dhabi, UAE.