Proven Robotics claimed, the facility offers a wide range of services including providing customers with original spare parts, onsite troubleshooting, inhouse maintenance from qualified and technically certified teams, as well as the installation and configuration of robots.

“The GCC has made considerable strides in adopting and deploying robotics solutions in line with government blueprints such as Saudi Vision 2030. However, after-sales maintenance has remained a challenge in the region and most robotics hardware is currently being shipped back to its country of origin for servicing,” said Zaid Al Mashari, Principal Proven Robotics.

The concept of robots and humans working alongside each other is fast becoming the new normal,” added Al Mashari.

With its new service center, Proven Robotics aims to grow and expand within the region. The company also expects to establish global partnerships with worldwide leaders in the robot manufacturing industry to ensure improved efficiency and support to keep automated systems functioning at optimal performance levels.

The live event was focused on showcasing the brilliance of these robots in improving efficiencies through AI technology, reducing operating costs, and simplifying processes. Representatives from Proven Robotics and Pudu Robotics discussed the growth of robotics in the region, and the role of AI and robots in Saudi Arabia’s ambitious drive towards making automation and artificial intelligence a core pillar in the nation’s economic development strategy.

Visitors attending the Riyadh Season 2021-22 were able to watch demos for Kettybot, Bellabot, and Pudubot, robots that were developed to transform the operational landscape and improve efficiency. Bellabot robot was designed to revolutionize the human-robot interactive system, helping make manual tasks in customer-servicing obsolete; while Kettybot and Pudubot are service delivery robots and can act as a utility assistant in several industries.

“There is an increasing demand for robotics across many industries, and this demand is expected to rise, driven by the introduction of new technologies, a growing need for automation fueled by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the need for contactless and automated interactions. We are committed to working with our customers to deliver solutions that match their needs, helping them stay competitive and relevant in an ever-evolving digital era,” said Zaid Al Mashari Group CEO of Proven Arabia.

SquareOne Technologies formed in 2008 as an Enterprise Information Management solution provider, specializes in business processes automation, information exchange management and business Intelligence & analytics solutions. With introduction of RPA, the Digital Workforce solution to its portfolio, Squareone would enable organizations in the Middle East to increase the employee productivity by 80% and minimizing error rates to near 0%, all while decreasing costs by a typical 50 percent.

“SquareOne Technologies partnership with Automation Anywhere aims to provide the best of the technologies in Business Process Automation. We are glad to partner with Automation Anywhere and we are keen to help organizations increase their productivity and reduce operating costs, “said Mr. Ghassan Surkhi, General Manager. He also added RPA enables automation of manual working hours across industries including Finance & Accounting, Healthcare, Networking & IT and Human Resources.
“We are looking forward to working together with Squareone to bring organizations in the Middle East Automation Anywhere’s leading digital workforce platform. Research firm Everest Group recently named us a leader in their 2018 RPA PEAK Matrix assessment,” said Mr. Anubhav Saxena, Executive Vice President, Partnerships, Strategy and Operations at Automation Anywhere. “SquareOne is focused on helping enterprises realize the benefits of adding software bots alongside their human workers to improve efficiency, time to market, customer satisfaction, and more.”

Jason Whiley, director of sales, Epson Middle East, says: “By simplifying robot programming, supporting complex manufacturing and providing packaged solutions, we aim to help remove any barriers to automation. We are likewise committed to working alongside our customers to deliver solutions that match their needs.”

Epson launched the WorkSense W-01, an autonomous dual-arm robot, ideal for the automation of complex tasks and small lot sizes. Described as “seeing, sensing, thinking, working”, this intelligent robot is designed for largely autonomous production in a number of new and different applications – and comes equipped with a large number of internal sensors from cameras to force sensors. Designed to meet the changing needs of businesses, the new range of robots meets increasing demand for affordable automation by SMEs and more precise and efficient technology. These announcements come at a time of growth and investment for Epson, whose 2025 vision is to be the global market leader in compact, precision robots.

Epson is already global market share leader in SCARA (horizontally articulated) robots, a title it has held for seven consecutive years, and is on track to increase its current market share to 40% by 2020. Since the global rollout of three new models this month, Epson is the only industrial robot producer in the world offering such a comprehensive price to performance ratio within its three product lines of SCARA robots and 6-axis robots – a truly scalable robotics offering.

The SCARA T6 robot, available for purchase on the Epson global webstore, is perfect for ‘pick and place’ applications – precise and efficient – handling payloads of up 6kg, double that of its predecessor, the T3. The VT6-L, available soon on the webstore, joins the line up delivering ‘just enough’ robot to automate repetitive tasks at an extremely competitive price. The N6 completes Epson’s robotics offering, providing revolutionary kinematics as a compact 6-axis industrial robot with a small footprint but incredible dexterity.

Shipments of mobile robotics will grow from 4 million in 2012 to 25.4 million in 2020. The fastest growing sector in this expansion is predicted to be logistics, with unit shipments of logistics-related robotics increasing from 1,400 in 2012 to 95,000 in 2020. The largest absolute growth will be in personal and household robotics, growing from four million in 2012 to 25 million in 2020.

“As robots get inexorably smarter with advances in Artificial Intelligence and know more about the world around them through access to the Internet of Things and Big Data, they will make more informed decisions and be able to adapt to the environments they inhabit. This in turn will lead to richer human-machine collaboration – driving massive gains in productivity, safer workplaces, and better lives,” said Paul Clarke, CTO at the United Kingdom-based Ocado, the world’s largest online-only grocery retailer.

Paul Clarke will headline GITEX’s Retail Wednesday, an all-day conference on how innovations are transforming e-commerce, brand engagement, and the retail supply chain.

He will present on “Harnessing the Power of Technology Tsunamis to Disrupt the Future of Online Grocery Retail and Beyond,” on how Ocado has scaled and sustained e-commerce by harnessing the power of innovative technologies.

Ocado ships over 200,000 weekly orders in the UK thanks to its automated warehouses, the latest of which will have thousands of robots fetching their customers’ groceries. Ocado is currently partnering with several European Union universities to develop the SecondHand humanoid robot, which aims for factory deployment by 2020.

“Humanoid robots with advanced artificial intelligence are set to be a major leap forward in complementing people and enhancing efficiency in the workplace, especially in high-risk and fast-paced environments. As the Middle East’s push for innovation continues, the region is primed to be a centre of having robots transform the workplace. Lessons learnt in retail could be extended to other verticals such as healthcare, hospitality, entertainment, and construction,” added Paul Clarke.

With more workplace automation, companies will be able to replace up to 10 workers with one robot, driving down costs by as much as 60 per cent, according to Frost & Sullivan.

The European Federation of Robotics, a non-profit organization that aims to promote, strengthen, and protect the robotics industry worldwide, predicts the Middle East will see strong take-up of robotics across businesses, especially in industrial and manufacturing.

“Robots increasingly have the artificial intelligence to carry out tasks based on their own decisions, enhancing efficiency and safety. We are on the brink of a major breakthrough in human-machine technology advancement, and the GCC and UAE have the ambition and early adoption mind-set to be global leaders in using robotics to transform daily lives,” said Simon Andersen, CIO at the European Federation of Robotics.

Robotics, Drones, and 3D Printing Drive Innovation

Robotics, along with drones and 3D printing, are three inter-related technologies that are rapidly decreasing in cost, advancing in sophistication, and driving innovation.

With mid-range 3D printers advancing in quality, there is strong industry take-up – from rapid prototyping in industrial manufacturing, to healthcare with hearing aids and dental braces. Globally, 3D printers and services will grow more than six-fold, from USD 2.5 billion in 2013 to USD 16.2 billion in 2018, according to a recent analysis by consultants PwC.

3D printing is making major waves in the retail sector – with industry analysts Gartner predicting at least seven of the top 10 retailers in the world using 3D printing. John Vary, Innovation Manager at UK department store John Lewis, will present at GITEX on how the company’s in-house Room Y innovation hub has prototyped 3D-printed products.

Drones are seeing strong take-up across a wide range of industry verticals – especially in monitoring sites and delivering goods across long distances, and present a global commercial value of USD 127 billion, according to a recent report by consultants PWC. The three strongest markets are infrastructure, agriculture, and transport, with infrastructure worth USD 45 billion across monitoring, conducting maintenance, and checking inventory.

In the energy field, oil and gas leaders from Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations, Dolphin Energy, Emirates National Oil Company, and Takreer will discuss at GITEX Conferences on how drones and sensors can make energy sites safer and better monitored.

Bringing drones innovations to the Middle East, many of the world’s largest and most advanced drones manufacturers will showcase their latest drones at GITEX – including leading Chinese drones manufacturers Ehang, Prodrone, and Yuneec.

GITEX Startup Movement Supports Innovators

The new GITEX Startup Movement will support global startups experimenting in robotics, drones, and 3D printing in securing funding and reaching new markets and audiences.

UAE startup DigiRobotics, which launched CafeBot and CarBot driverless car at last year’s GITEX, will return to showcase the first virtual reality robotic simulator, 3D printing by a seven-axis robot, unmanned vehicles, and the UAE’s first 3D-printed humanoid robot.

“Following the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum and the Future Strategy of UAE, DigiRobotics Technologies is seeing a surge of interest in robotics across 3D printing, humanoid robots for personal assistance, and unmanned vehicles and industrial robotics in the oil and gas, manufacturing, construction, and logistics sectors, especially for repetitive and dangerous tasks,” said Bilal Al Hattab, Managing Director of DigiRobotics.

At GITEX, DigiRobotics will join robotics innovators such as China-based Alpula, which specialises in child-friendly humanoid robots; The Hi-Tech, which says it has 90 per cent market share of India’s industrial and warehousing robotics; InSystems Automation from Germany, which creates robots ranging from industrial machines to 3D scanners; and the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement, which promotes a wide range of robots.

Fuelling the next generation of startups will be GITEX Startup Movement’s global incubators and accelerators – such as STC’s InspireU and BADIR Programme for Science and Technology, Dubai Technology and Entrepreneurship Centre in the UAE, Oasis500 from Jordan, and the Japan External Trade Organisation.

At the Middle East centre of robotics, drones, and 3D printing innovation is the UAE, with government initiatives leading the way. Dubai recently opened the world’s first 3D printed office building, and the Dubai 3D Printing Strategy aims to make the city a global hub by 2030. Numerous government agencies are using drones to monitor security, utilities, and roads. The UAE will also host the World Future Sports Games 2017 for robotics.

“The UAE has shown how to imagine the future on a grand scale. GITEX Technology Week 2016’s theme of ‘Reimagining Realities’ will encompass how robotics, drones, and 3D printing manufacturers, early adopters, experts, and futurists see the world changing in the near future, in a place where new ideas are especially welcomed,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice-President, Exhibitions and Events Management, Dubai World Trade Centre.

To experience the latest innovations in robotics, drones, and 3D printing, register for GITEX Technology Week 2016 at www.gitex.com. The event will run from 16-20 October 2016 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The store opens to the public on July 3, and will feature more than one hundred innovative robotics and unique brands such as EZ Robot, Wonder Workshop, DTS Robotics, Amaryllo, Quitbit, and Sen.se, to name a few. Innovators will enable visitors to have a hands-on experience with the latest robotics technology and innovations from some of the world’s latest brands. It will have a dedicated section for robotics, where shoppers can interact with the many robots and learn more about their functions, and even purchase their very own robot.

“The future of consumer electronics is in innovation, and we foresee that real value will be delivered by products that are apart from traditional electronics. The introduction of robotics into the consumer electronics space is proof that customers demand more from their devices. The world is embracing robotics, and we are proud to be the first to offer robots that suit a variety of segments such as education, services, recreation and for domestic functions. We are making some of the world’s best brands accessible to our customers in the region,” says Cizar Abugazaleh, Managing Director, Action-to-Action.

“Innovators” is unlike any other traditional consumer electronics store in the region. The store is the worlds first electronics store to not list traditional electronics products such as laptops, tablets, desktops and mobile phones.

“At Action-to-Action we are enabling innovators to take their products to a wider marketplace. “Innovators”, as the name suggest, will give innovative technology startups a platform to make their products accessible to customers in the region. The very DNA of the “Innovators” is to deliver only the most unique consumer electronics experience to customers. We are the only store in the Middle East to focus on robotics and innovation and we aim to stay away from the traditional products to focus on advanced technology that simplifies life of our customers,” added Abughazaleh.

As a means to opening up the market to new inventors, Innovators will be allocating marketing funds to support new innovative brands listed at the store, and will not ask brands or innovators for fees to promote, list and display products.