A team of UAE-based students has developed an innovative AI solution to combat COVID-19 social distancing violations. The team from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Dubai have won a Dh20,000 prize in the ‘FabLab UAE Innovators Competition’ to their AI-based solution which will detect social distancing violations and alert the on-ground security team.

The team consists of second-year bachelor of science (computer security) students Noman Sheikh and Syed Izhan Hyder and their supervisor Professor of Computing Sciences Dr Ali Raza.

As per reports, the AI solution will soon be replacing social distancing stickers on the floor which are aimed at creating awareness about maintaining safe gap between people.

According to Hyder, the system works by combining computer-vision technology with an AI model detection algorithm to detect any social distancing violations in the surrounding. The 4G-LTE network provides the necessary networking capabilities to the system anywhere and anytime.

"If social distance is not maintained, an automated message is sent to the security team via WhatsApp," he added.

Furthermore, Noman underlined that the idea behind creating the solution was to detect violations and send an instant alert to the on-site security team through automation to allow them to intervene and enforce necessary regulations.

“An important element of the solution is that any violations can be immediately relayed to command and control to be acted upon quickly. This feature can have a number of applications beyond this technology, across various industrial and professional settings," Dr Raza added.

The innovative solution won the recognition among more than 40 submissions to the FabLab competition. According to reports, the team was one of six teams that moved forwards to the final stage of presenting their projects to the expert juries. Along with the Dh20,000 prize money, the team will also receive crucial support to manufacture the product, including the provision of all the materials needed for the implementation of the project as well as marketing and promotion both regionally and globally.

Waleed Al Hamdi, Innovation Programmes Trainer at FabLab UAE, underscored that the FabLab was founded in 2015 by Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation to honour distinguished academic performance. FabLab is aimed at creating an integrated infrastructure to support innovation across all segments of society.

"Through a community network of Fabrication Laboratories, FabLab provides access to the most recent technologies, tools, and programmes in the world of digital fabrication," Al Hamdi added.