They say necessity is the mother of all invention, and amid the pandemic it's been necessary for us all to practice social distancing. This new way of living has paved the way for all manner of new inventions.
From India to Singapore, engineers and designers have been busy coming up with ideas for devices that will allow us to stay safe and virus-free in a post-pandemic world.
Here are a few of the most interesting we've come across.
The robotic dog
Spot, a robotic dog created by Boston Dynamics, an American engineering and robotics design company, has been roaming around Singaporean parks, ensuring people maintain a safe distance from each other.
The National Parks Board confirmed that Spot will be patrolling a six-kilometre area of Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park during off-peak hours, playing pre-recorded messages that remind park-users to observe social distancing measures.
The robot, which will be controlled remotely, is also fitted with cameras that will be used to estimate how many people are visiting the park. While it will eventually diminish the need for human contact, a person will accompany the dog during the testing period, it was reported.
Last month, the bot also helped healthcare workers at Brigham and Women's Hospital of Harvard University treat coronavirus patients remotely.
Inflatable face shields
Across the world, a number of designs for face shields and masks have been conceived. One of the more interesting ones comes from MARGstudio, Alessio Casciano Design and Angeletti Ruzza.
It's a brightly hued inflatable face shield that will allow people to socialise safely in restaurants and other situations, as well as take in food and drink while wearing it. It has not been designed with healthcare workers in mind, reports design website Dezeen.
It's called Soffio, which is the Italian word for "blow". It will be made from PVC with a plastic visor and elastic head strap, and the shield will be positioned away from the face so whoever is wearing it can eat or drink at the same time.
The designers say each mask could be manufactured for less than one Euro (Dh3.9) and could be handed out at bars and restaurants, and branded.
A laser project
A laser-based solution is the brainchild of Harm van Beek, research and design director for design agency The Incredible Machine, reports Spar3D.com.
They've called the tool The Social Distance Thing and it features a laser that shines at a rotating mirror and projects a circle around the wearer on the ground, marking out how far other people should stand in order to maintain a safe distance.
Its maker shared a demonstration video and detailed instructions so other people can build the device themselves, using items they probably already have at home. Materials that can be used include a laser pointer, small mirror, computer fan, electrical wire, battery pack, Lego and a PVC pipe.
Fibreglass frames
This is another idea to help people social distance in parks and was created by design studio SBGA Blengini Ghirardelli. Named C'entro, the modular frame is made from colourful fibreglass rods that would snap together to form a circle on the ground for up to two people to sit inside, reports Dezeen.
A spacer between each hoop will show other people how far they need to stay away in order to maintain a safe distance.
It's inspired by the technology of camping tents and the device, which would weigh a maximum of 500 grams, can be dismantled and carried around in a bag.
The Italian studio came up with the idea after Milan's mayor Giuseppe Sala called for people to come up with ideas on how the city can reopen after two months in lockdown.
A golf ball retriever
Entertainment facilities from cinemas to golf courses will need to ensure safe social distancing practices for the foreseeable future. This has led Cobblestone Golf Course in Georgia, US to come up with a nifty idea for retrieving golf balls from holes.
It's called the E-Z Lyft and it plucks balls right out of the hole without the need for a human to touch them and without impeding on the normal course of play, reports Golf.com.
The device, which has a patent pending, features a handle that aligns with the flagstick. It's connected to a plastic ring at the bottom of the hole. So all golfers need to do is lift the handle with their clubhead and the ball rolls out. Watch the video in the Instagram post above to see how it all works.
An alarm system
Budavarapu Sneha, a student in the Indian state of Telangana, has come up with the idea for an instrument named 'Covid-19 Alert ID Card' that will sound an alarm when anyone comes within one metre of the person wearing it, reports Telangana Today.
Sneha, a resident of Jyothinagar in Karimnagar, also designed a watch that would alert the wearer if he or she touches their own face.
England v South Africa schedule
- First Test: Starts Thursday, Lord's, 2pm (UAE)
- Second Test: July 14-18, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 2pm
- Third Test: The Oval, London, July 27-31, 2pm
- Fourth Test: Old Trafford, Manchester, August 4-8
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The 12
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
2024%20Dubai%20Marathon%20Results
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
Slow loris biog
From: Lonely Loris is a Sunda slow loris, one of nine species of the animal native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore
Status: Critically endangered, and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list due to growing demand in the global exotic pet trade. It is one of the most popular primate species found at Indonesian pet markets
Likes: Sleeping, which they do for up to 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they like to eat fruit, insects, small birds and reptiles and some types of vegetation
Dislikes: Sunlight. Being a nocturnal animal, the slow loris wakes around sunset and is active throughout the night
Superpowers: His dangerous elbows. The slow loris’s doe eyes may make it look cute, but it is also deadly. The only known venomous primate, it hisses and clasps its paws and can produce a venom from its elbow that can cause anaphylactic shock and even death in humans
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
The%20Little%20Mermaid%20
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
SECRET%20INVASION
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ali%20Selim%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Samuel%20L%20Jackson%2C%20Olivia%20Coleman%2C%20Kingsley%20Ben-Adir%2C%20Emilia%20Clarke%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
57%20Seconds
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The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
BRIEF SCORES
England 353 and 313-8 dec
(B Stokes 112, A Cook 88; M Morkel 3-70, K Rabada 3-85)
(J Bairstow 63, T Westley 59, J Root 50; K Maharaj 3-50)
South Africa 175 and 252
(T Bavuma 52; T Roland-Jones 5-57, J Anderson 3-25)
(D Elgar 136; M Ali 4-45, T Roland-Jones 3-72)
Result: England won by 239 runs
England lead four-match series 2-1
