Technical innovations that shape the smart cities of the future in “GITEX 2025”

During their participation in the activities of the GITEX Global 2022 exhibition, companies specialized in technical solutions showcased innovations and smart systems that support the concepts and patterns of future cities that are based on artificial intelligence technologies, the Internet of Things, and the speed of response of advanced fifth generation networks.

During a field tour of the pavilions of the exhibition, which concluded its activities yesterday at the Dubai World Trade Center, Emirates Today monitored a group of technical systems and solutions that keep pace with the transformation towards smart cities.

These innovations included mobile robotic screens that speak different languages, which can be used in service institutions to respond to visitors’ inquiries in several languages, in addition to advanced solutions for smart road cameras, capable of monitoring power failures, water leaks, potholes, accidents, and waste, and linking them directly to the competent authorities, allowing for rapid response and dealing with them effectively.

The products offered also included smart panels capable of converting sounds and videos into written texts, with the ability to provide summaries according to custom systems, in addition to panels powered by artificial intelligence that are displayed inside homes, including animated images of deceased family members or relatives.

Experts in the technical sector reported that the shift towards smart cities is increasingly relying on artificial intelligence and Internet of Things technologies, which has made their applications more realistic and implementable compared to previous conceptual models, noting that many of these solutions are actually being applied in a number of countries, which confirms that smart cities are no longer just a futuristic idea, but rather a tangible reality that is expanding.

The Director of Operations at Time Dynamics Company, Khaled Al-Assoudi, said that the smart systems presented at the GITEX 2025 session contribute significantly to supporting the transformation of cities into a smart lifestyle. He stressed that this includes fully automated stores and shopping centers that are managed without human presence, in addition to hotels that are connected to smart systems that enable guests to fully control room elements, such as lighting, curtains, televisions, and air conditioners, via their smartphones immediately after logging in. He added that among the innovative systems that support this transformation are smart traffic signals that are connected to sensors and networks that analyze traffic or accidents on surrounding roads, allowing traffic to be organized more smoothly and effectively.

For her part, Project Manager at iFlyTech, Halima Jabali, said that the exhibition witnessed a display of a large number of systems supported by artificial intelligence, which have become applicable on the ground, noting that among the most prominent of these innovations are the mobile robotic screens that can be used in airports and service institutions, as these screens respond to visitors’ inquiries in several languages, through a virtual employee who appears on the screen. It provides simultaneous translation and interactive navigation within the venue.

She also pointed to other innovations, such as smart boards that convert written or recorded texts into formatted texts that can be saved and summarized, which makes it easier to manage meetings and turn them into digital records, in addition to smart boards that display pictures of relatives or the deceased and animate them using artificial intelligence to give a human and realistic character to the memories.

In turn, the head of the MDS Systems Integration Group, Sami Abi Esber, stressed that artificial intelligence technologies play a pivotal role in supporting the digital transformation process and enhancing the innovation system towards smart cities. He explained that the acceleration of investments in the fields of cloud computing and artificial intelligence has contributed to accelerating the introduction of digital transformation initiatives in various sectors, in line with the requirements of automation and smart technological integration.

Abi Esber said that the ongoing government initiatives in this sector have formed a fertile environment for innovation and helped establish the foundations of smart diversity in digital services and infrastructure.

In the same context, Vikas R. Panchal, General Manager of the Middle East Region at Tuli Solutions, said that artificial intelligence has facilitated the implementation of several solutions that support the shift towards the smart model, including complete automation systems for paper and accounting records in institutions, as they have been converted into digital systems, even in small and medium enterprises, which contributes to their integration within the integrated smart cities system. Artificial intelligence has played a prominent role in accelerating the pace of this transformation.