A student-built search-and-rescue robot is highlighting how Qatar is turning university research into practical technologies, as the Qatar Mobility Innovations Centre (QMIC) showcases new systems and expands partnerships at Mobile World Congress (MWC26) in Doha.
Developed by Qatar University (QU) students, the prototype uses virtual reality (VR), a 360-degree camera and artificial intelligence (AI) to help locate people in search-and-rescue scenarios, offering a glimpse into how locally developed technology could support emergency response operations.
The project is among the innovations being underlined by QMIC where the centre is demonstrating how research and development can be translated into solutions for industry and national partners.
Explaining the system, student developer Marcus Wein Monteiro said the robot could be controlled remotely through a VR headset, allowing its operator to navigate towards a detected person.
“We use a VR and a 360 camera with AI assistance in finding the victims,” he said, demonstrating how the system responded when he moved the headset towards a hand used to illustrate its detection capabilities.
The robot is currently deployed at QU’s H07 building for demonstration and remote-control testing.
Monteiro, who is working on the project with Syed Mohammed Hamza and Mohd Muhtasim Bashar, said the initial idea came from their thesis supervisor, Dr Osama Halabi.
The team spent about a year developing the prototype before dedicating the following four months to refining it.
“Qatar University basically provided us with a room, a lab to work on,” Monteiro said, adding that their supervisors also helped provide the equipment needed for development.
Support from QMIC later enabled the students to obtain improved components to reduce latency and increase accuracy.
Reflecting on the opportunities available to young innovators, Monteiro said students should not be discouraged from approaching institutions and seeking support.
“It may seem scary at first, but starting out is always the hardest thing,” he said. “Once you start out, you just need to get the ball rolling. There’s a lot of support in Qatar that you can go to.”
QMIC executive director Mohammed al-Sada said the centre’s wider mission is to bridge the gap between research and practical applications, working with universities and research institutes to develop solutions that industry can adopt.
“QMIC is a national research and innovation centre,” he said. “It takes the outputs of R&D from our collaborations with different universities and research institutes and converts them into solutions and systems that can be used by the industry in Qatar, focusing on national partners.”
Established in 2009, the centre has been operating for more than 15 years, with specialised work spanning smart-city systems and embodied intelligence, including robotics and drones.
Al-Sada highlighted QMIC’s contributions to national projects, including Qatar Rail, where its systems have been used to monitor different components of the train network, and smart traffic monitoring solutions deployed during the FIFA World Cup and at other national events.
