The time is not far away when small robots using water and detergent will be used to clean high-rise buildings through what the experts call the 'autonomous intelligent cleaning systems' thanks to researchers at the American University of Sharjah (AUS).
The Mechatronics Centre at the AUS is developing the system to cope with the challenges as the harsh environment of the region imposes extreme demands on keeping the outer surface of a building clean and protecting it from heat, dust and humidity which all shorten the lifespan of skyscrapers.
The system is being developed especially to clean the innovatively designed concourse building of Dubai International Airport. The new system will be used to clean the outer side of the half-cylinder shape concourse building.
"There will be no human involvement," said Dr Mohammed Ameen Al Jarrah, Director of the Mechatronics Centre.
"Autonomous cleaning systems are being used in some countries, but their use is limited to floors. After developing the project for the airport, we are planning to develop such systems for cleaning high-rise buildings. It is a pioneering project because none of the countries in the region uses such a system."
This is one of the research projects being carried out at the Mechatronics Centre, established as part of the AUS vision to provide services to the community in line with the directions of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
The centre is also working on a research project to manage baggage trolleys at the airport.
"We are preparing an intelligent system to be attached to trolleys. With the help of this system, a trolley's position can be located and it will also give information about the person with the trolley.
"The passenger using the trolley will swipe his boarding pass at the electronic device attached to trolley, which will transmit data and give details about the passenger and his location in the airport. The system will also help the airline and airport staff locate a passenger in case he falls asleep or fails to report at the boarding gate."
The centre is also preparing to provide a web-based service to monitor machinery of big companies. It is in touch with the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority and big companies such as ADNOC to provide them with web-based machine monitoring services.
"Our experts can identity faults through the web and advise customers about maintenance and repair of gas turbines and power stations," Al Jarrah said.
Another ongoing project is research on a 'hybrid' vehicle, which will be able to run on gasoline and electric power. "It will be a mechatronic vehicle as it will be able to optimise the power source. It will be very cost effective and we are negotiating with a local company to develop it to meet the country's future needs."
Al Jarrah said: "The programme adheres to modern engineering systems which incorporates technologies from mechanical, electrical and computer engineering."
Mechatronics is a system and approach to the design of modern engineering products.
The centre aims to play a key role in technology transfer and human resource development in the region. Its main objective is to promote inter-disciplinary engineering education in the region and to establish mechatronics research development and counselling services to help local industries adapt to emerging technologies.
It will also help the local industry to utilise information technology and computing power into existing systems in addition to providing services to solve technical problems with result-oriented, hands-on and customised training.
"We are also open to industry as we can help them discover their needs for the use of the latest technology. We also need industrial support to carry out our projects," Al Jarrah said.
Multi-disciplinary engineers, he said, are needed now more than ever to meet the demands for a flexible engineering workforce to deal with highly integrated engineering systems.
"GCC countries have made a lot of investment in oil and petrochemicals industries as well as in transforming from oil-based economies to industry-based economies. The market needs and the development plans in the region call for a flexible engineering workforce equipped with information technology, embedded systems and precision mechanical engineering.
"The development of mechatronics is the answer for the call. These challenges are reflected significantly in engineering education, calling for integration versus separation and inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary education."
The AUS is the first university in the Middle East which is offering a master's degree programme in mechatronics and has established a full-fledged research centre and laboratory.
Mechatronics students study a range of disciplines; they are well equipped to go into a wide range of jobs in electrical or mechanical engineering, as well as software development and management positions.
Al Jarrah pointed out that mechatronics is simply the application of the latest techniques in precision mechanical engineering, control theory, computer engineering and science, and electronics to the design process to create more functional and adaptable products.
Forty-one students, mostly working as engineers in various fields including the UAE armed forces, have enrolled for the master's degree programme in mechatronics.
The objective of the programme is to provide the industry with a new generation of engineers having inter-disciplinary skills necessary to deal with state of the art technology in designing, maintaining, selecting and procuring modern engineering systems. It will help accommodate the various needs of the modern industrial sector.
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