Beijing, China, August 26, 2019 – Aramco Asia, a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, today hosted an innovation symposium on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Robotics to accelerate Aramco’s evaluation and deployment of these technologies for industrial and non-industrial applications.
The event gathered over 50 experts and representatives from Aramco and leading Chinese UAV and Robotics technology companies including DJI, CITIC HIC KAICHENG, AOSSCI, PLECOBOT and UBTECH. Participants were engaged in extensive discussions to share knowledge and promote effective and efficient technology solutions for Aramco stakeholders in line with the company’s pursuit of Digital Transformation and Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0).
In his opening remarks, Fahad Al-Othman, Aramco Asia China Country Manager, highlighted the company’s commitment to enabling opportunities through innovation, investment and adoption of cutting-edge technologies. “This symposium serves as an excellent platform for Aramco to identify collaboration opportunities with Chinese partners and further deployment of UAV and Robotics technology in our business operations, which will bring huge benefits to industries and communities both in China and the Kingdom”, said Al-Othman.
In the symposium, Aramco introduced its UAV & Robotic Program and strategies, current status of UAV and Robotics application, as well as challenges and opportunities the company faces in these efforts. Chinese vendors, meanwhile, showcased their advanced technology solutions, including drones used in oil and gas sector, fixed-wing UAVs, special robots used in hazardous areas, non-industrial robotics, humanoid robotics, and cleaning robots for high rise buildings.
Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Aramco Asia Vice President for Engineering and Technical Services noted in the concluding remarks that “I hope the platform has been established through this event to align mutual interests as a prelude to further collaborations between Aramco and Chinese UAV & Robotics companies. I’d also like to encourage us all to continue sharing ideas that would benefit energy sector operations and provide solutions that could address chronic technical challenges”.
The symposium is held following the 2019 World Robot Conference, the largest annual event in the global robotic industry, attracting over 813,000 audiences and 660 companies across the world this year. By leveraging this opportunity, Aramco Asia strives to identify advanced cost-effective UAV and Robotic solutions, develop partnerships with promising and potential vendors, enhance knowledge sharing and ultimately create value for our businesses and the wider communities.
Photo captions: Fahad Al-Othman, Aramco Asia China Country Manager, highlighted in the opening remarks, the company’s commitment to enabling opportunities through innovation, investment and adoption of cutting-edge technologies.