A hugging robot at day 4 of Gitex 2022. Leslie Pableo for The National
A hugging robot at day 4 of Gitex 2022. Leslie Pableo for The National
A hugging robot at day 4 of Gitex 2022. Leslie Pableo for The National
A hugging robot at day 4 of Gitex 2022. Leslie Pableo for The National


How Dubai is trying to predict the future


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October 14, 2022

According to Mark Beer of Asgardia, an international project that is trying to set up a space nation, environmental and health crises could eventually drive a billion people to live on Mars. It is a striking hypothesis, revealed at a striking gathering of leading future-focused thinkers at the Dubai Future Forum, which wrapped up on Wednesday.

At another site in the city this week, more than 5,000 companies from 90 countries are displaying cutting-edge innovations as part of Gitex 2022. From flying cars to delivery robots, the audience can be sure that at least some of the technologies on display will soon feature in their lives.

Some of these inventions are already close. Gitex 2022 is expected to see the first public flight of a Chinese tech firm's two-seater electric vertical take-off and landing car. Back in June, the electric aircraft company Eve Holding, owned by Brazilian plane maker Embraer, and UAE-based charter flight operator Falcon Aviation Services signed a letter of intent for up to 35 flying taxis. Deliveries are expected to start in 2026.

Many projects are in earlier stages of development, and it is fair to assume that many will not catch on. But that approach does not diminish the value of events such as Gitex 2022, nor is it a stain on the innovators who supply the prototypes and the investors that fund them. The future belongs to those who are willing to take risks to shape it, and this would not happen without the many investment bets being made today. After all, failures, even mistakes, have sparked historic success. Alexander Fleming's discovery of the first antibiotic began when he found mouldy petri dishes in his lab after returning from holiday.

It is suitable that the UAE is at the centre of exploring these ideas. The country itself is the product of embracing modern opportunities and taking risks. Now this approach is being turned into a formal strategic objective to focus the country on the future. Whether starting the Dubai Future Forum, hosting Gitex, including workers with specialist technical expertise in preferential visa programmes or Thursday's news that the Emirates will launch the Entrepreneurial Nation 2.0 initiative, which seeks to develop 8,000 small and medium enterprises and create 20 start-ups with a valuation of $1 billion and above by 2030, the country continues to invest in the opportunities present in the unknown.

It is important to stay on this course as global challenges that distract other countries mount. At the Dubai Future Forum, Amy Webb, chief executive of the Future Today Institute, spoke of what she viewed as the "now-ism virus": “From my point of view, governments, businesses and society – they’re now-ists. They’re not thinking like futurists. They’re preoccupied with the present.”

By hosting speakers such as Ms Webb and Mr Beer, the Emirates is providing a home for futurists. In recent years, the world overcame a terrible virus that forced governments to focus very much on the present. That has passed, and now it is time to immunise naysayers against this more conceptual malaise.

Remaining Fixtures

Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final

Take Me Apart

Kelela

(Warp)

MATCH INFO

Manchester United 6 (McTominay 2', 3'; Fernandes 20', 70' pen; Lindelof 37'; James 65')

Leeds United 2 (Cooper 41'; Dallas 73')

Man of the match: Scott McTominay (Manchester United)

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lee%20Sang-yong%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Don%20Lee%2C%20Lee%20Jun-hyuk%2C%20Munetaka%20Aoki%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ashes 2019 schedule

August 1-5: First Test, Edgbaston

August 14-18: Second Test, Lord's

August 22-26: Third Test, Headingley

September 4-8: Fourth Test, Old Trafford

September 12-16: Fifth Test, Oval

Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Herc's Adventures

Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5

Brief scores:

Juventus 3

Dybala 6', Bonucci 17', Ronaldo 63'

Frosinone 0

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Updated: October 14, 2022, 10:51 AM`