Arab world’s first electromagnetic compatibility labs launched in UAE

Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the applied research pillar of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), announced that its Directed Energy Research Center (DERC) has unveiled its electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) laboratories in Abu Dhabi, housed in a first of its kind facility in the Arab world. The facility is composed of three laboratories — an EMC semi-anechoic chamber, a pulsed power laboratory, and a low-noise emanation laboratory.

The DERC facility enables key technologies to be evaluated against electromagnetic compatibility and interference by reproducing man-made and natural electromagnetic hazards in the pulsed power and semi-anechoic chambers. The direct connection between the two chambers enables a diversity of experiments involving 100s of kV nanosecond pulses and multi-megawatt microwaves systems. The laboratories have been designed to host different categories of equipment such as connected objects of the Internet of Things, drones and autonomous cars, telecommunications equipment, medical devices, automotive equipment, IT equipment and is fully automated for tests and measurements. A unique low-noise emanation lab has been

built on DERC specifications that allow for the study of very low noises emitted by electronic systems.

Faisal Al-Bannai, secretary-general of ATRC, said: “The launch of these labs, which are the first and the largest in the Arab world, is aligned with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology’s ‘Operation 300bn,’ which aims to advance the industrial sector, a mandate which we fully support at ATRC as the organization defining Abu Dhabi’s and the UAE’s research strategy across academia and industry. ATRC is investing in cutting-edge laboratories that will support in-country research and development and local industry, and encourage innovation in line with international standards. By opening these unique laboratories, nonexistent before in the Arab region, we want to support innovators from prototype to a qualified system.” Dr. Chaouki Kasmi, chief researcher at DERC, said: “At DERC, we support research on a wide range of topics in EMC and EMI on behalf of governments and enterprises to help create and maintain advanced electronic systems. We are excited to announce the launch of the EMC labs in Abu Dhabi. They will help in pre-qualification of electronics against electromagnetic compatibility and interference standards as well as hardening of critical infrastructures to operate safely in harsh environments.”

EMC allows electronic devices that are near each other to operate without mutual interference, known as electromagnetic interference (EMI).