Prof. Koubaa: Aerial Systems for Delivery and Surveillance: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities

Overview

Aerial Systems for Delivery and Surveillance: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities

Abstract

The development of aerial systems is nowadays a significant trend in the industry. Delivery and surveillance applications are among the most important in drones' business. However, the development of drones applications encompasses several technical challenges, both from hardware and software perspectives. In this talk, I present the benefits of delivery and surveillance applications using aerial vehicles and discuss the main challenges from different perspectives, including technical, regulatory, and business. I present how artificial intelligence can be leveraged to increase the level of autonomy of the drone.

Furthermore, I show how deep learning algorithms are embedded into unmanned systems for onboard processing and decision making. We discuss different tradeoffs for deploying AI applications with unmanned aerial systems. I also share our experience developing drones' solutions in the talk, providing valuable tips for practitioners.

Biography

Anis Koubaa is the Director of the Research and Initiatives Center and the leader and founder of the Robotics and Internet-of-Things Lab at Prince Sultan University. He is a Full Professor in Computer Science and has been working on several R\&D projects on data science and unmanned systems, deep learning, robotics, and Internet-of-Things. He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy of the UK. He presented several training programs on drones, data science, Python programming, deep learning, and several other technologies. He is known for his course series and books on Robot Operating System (ROS). Anis Koubaa received the Rector Best Teacher Award in 2016 at Prince Sultan University and the Best Research Award in 2012 at Al-Imam University. He is also nominated in the carrier-based top 2% scientists list made by Stanford University. 
The current research interests of Anis Koubaa deal with developing automated solutions for logistics using drones and robots for delivery systems. Anis is the author of the ROSLink protocol that enables robots and drones to talk the cloud systems and develop cloud robotics solutions. He also leads AI projects on real-time face surveillance, vehicle detection, and license plate recognition. He is also developing AI and automation solutions for smart cities and smart agriculture.