News

Meet Dubai’s Groundbreaking Smart Robot Delivery Assistant

Cedre Valley in Dubai’s Silicon Oasis will host a three-month trial of the delivery robots, aiming to enhance logistics efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

Published

2 years ago

June 27, 2024

Nour Nasir

meet dubai's groundbreaking smart robot delivery assistant

Emirates News Agency

A groundbreaking delivery robot is now undergoing a three-month trial in Dubai’s Cedre Villas community at the Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO). The innovative robot, developed in a partnership between logistics giant Aramex and the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ), aims to revolutionize last-mile urban delivery services by enhancing efficiency and minimizing carbon emissions.

The trial in the Cedre Villas community will see the robot autonomously manage the delivery of over 1,000 packages. This upgraded version, equipped with multiple compartments designed for different parcel sizes, promises to boost delivery capacity and operational versatility compared to its single-cabin predecessors.

dubai delivery robot assistant

This cutting-edge technology is a part of Dubai’s ambitious strategy to integrate autonomous systems into its transportation network, with a goal of converting 25% of its transportation to autonomous mode by 2030. This initiative aligns with the wider Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, which emphasizes sustainable urban growth and smart mobility solutions.

To ensure safety and security during the pilot phase, recipients of packages from Aramex will receive secure pin codes to access their deliveries. Additionally, robot operations will be continuously monitored by a mobile outlet at the Cedre Shopping Centre, which will also manage the loading and unloading of packages.

Muammar Khaled Al Katheeri, Chief Officer of Engineering and Sustainability at DIEZ, highlighted the importance of integrating carbon-neutral delivery robots into Dubai’s Smart City Strategy, reinforcing the city’s commitment to advancing green technology for urban development.

Also Read: NVIDIA Teams With Ooredoo For Large-Scale Middle East Launch

Meanwhile, Tarek Abuyaghi, General Manager of Aramex, voiced his enthusiasm for the environmental benefits and enhanced urban living experience brought about by the initiative. The collaboration with DIEZ reflects a shared dedication to developing future-oriented delivery solutions in Dubai.

The pilot’s success will be assessed based on key metrics such as safety, efficiency, and customer satisfaction. Depending on the results, there may be an expansion of this technology to other economic zones, including the Dubai Airport Freezone and Dubai CommerCity.

News

Samsung And Spotify Offer Free Premium Deal In MENA

Nearly seven in ten streams in the region come from 18-to-34-year-olds — the audience Samsung is hoping to entice into its ecosystem.

Published

6 days ago

August 7, 2026

Nour Nasir

Samsung

Samsung has announced a partnership with Spotify spanning the Middle East, North Africa, and Türkiye, bundling Spotify Premium with select devices across its ecosystem. The headline offer — up to four months of Premium for free — is a first for the region.

Customers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Türkiye who buy any OLED or 98-inch television, or any Galaxy S or Z series mobile device, get four months of Spotify Premium. The offer, tiered by market and device, is available at retail and on Samsung.com, and redeemed through the Samsung Promotion and Samsung Members apps.

For Samsung, the strategy is less about free music than about lock-in. The Korean tech giant’s pitch is continuity: a track starts on a Galaxy smartphone through Galaxy Buds on the commute, moves to a Samsung TV and soundbar in the living room, and stays controllable from a Galaxy Watch. The more seamlessly music travels between those devices, the harder it becomes to swap any one of them for a rival’s.

“Technology should bring people closer to the things they love, and few things connect people the way music does,” said Omar Saheb, Regional VP of Marketing and Online Business at Samsung Electronics MENA. The partnership, he added, gives customers “a genuine reason to choose Samsung for the experience, not only the product”.

Also Read: Shokz OpenFit Pro Review: Open-Ear Audio Finally Grows Up

For subscribers, Premium brings the usual package: ad-free listening, offline downloads, richer audio quality on Galaxy Buds and Samsung sound devices, and Jam, which lets friends build a shared queue.

“At Spotify, we are always working to make every listening moment feel more personal, meaningful, and worth it,” said Rami Jamal, Head of Partnerships at Spotify for South Asia, Middle East, and Africa.

The demographics go a long way to explaining the strategy. Across MENA, Türkiye, and Pakistan, nearly seven in ten Spotify streams come from listeners aged 18 to 34, according to the company — precisely the audience Samsung wants inside its hardware ecosystem before buying habits harden.