AI-enabled tactical vehicle with ‘Italian look and UAE heart’ takes stage at show
A next-generation armoured tactical vehicle combining “an Italian look and a UAE heart” was unveiled yesterday at Umex and SimTex.
Eneron – a subsidiary of the UAE-based tech, transport and sustainability solutions company Kintsugi – used the Abu Dhabi drones and robotics exhibition to introduce its Magnus prototype.
The vehicle, developed by car designer Michael Vernon Robinson, will offer a smarter, faster and greener transport solution, the company said.
Mr Robinson has previously worked for Turin-based car maker Fiat – as well as Ford and Volvo – and Kintsugi says that the designer has brought Italian flair to the Magnus project.
“It’s an Italian look with a UAE heart,” said Tareq Albannay, vice president of future systems at Kintsugi.
While the prototype on display is an armoured tactical vehicle for security or military use, Mr Albannay said Eneron is planning to release a street-legal version in the future.
“The car itself has artificial intelligence and provides you with optimisation, safety and maintenance alerts,” he said.
Mr Albannay said the hybrid vehicle has a range of up to 800km – 600km from diesel and 200km from electric.
“It’s the future of tactical mobility,” he said, adding that the vehicle would also have the ability to be fully autonomous.
“Currently, there’s no such electric hybrid car of this type,” added Mr Albannay.
The six-tonne vehicle is made of an advanced composite material, giving it unprecedented durability against ballistics or mines, said Kintsugi.
Its doors can open 90 degrees – something Eneron is referring to as a “wide exit” or “wide entry” feature – allowing for them to be used as shields from incoming fire.
Kintsugi intends the six-seater to be manufactured in the UAE.
“As a leading technology company we don’t just cater to the military sector,” said Rashed Al Mohtadi, senior manager of business development at Kintsugi.
He said the company aims to have a prototype of the civil version at the International Defence Exhibition and Conference Idex in Abu Dhabi in 2025.
“We’re going to keep innovating and disrupting,” he added.
The potential price of the Magnus was not revealed.
Another eye-catching display at Umex and SimTex was a robot that climbed walls with its wheels, at the Adnoc booth. It was described as a corrosion detector that the oil company said could be used on tanks, boilers, pressure vessel piping and more.
“We don’t have to worry about it falling off any assets,” said one of the demonstrators from Gecko Robotics, maker of the Toka 4 robot.
Also on display was the Sulfabot, a collaboration project between Adnoc and Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi to clean up sulphur dust.
“We’re hoping to speed up the cleaning process by 50 per cent,” said Waad Alameri, a senior specialist in digital architecture at Adnoc.
“The idea is to use the robot to make it much safer.”