Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport Winners Announced for Prizes Worth USD 5.1 Million
15.10.2019 23:12:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Dubai World Congress for Self-Driving Transport; organised by Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) Dubai on 15th and 16th October 2019 has attracted more than 700 technology leaders and innovators as well as 3000 visitors of the accompanying exhibition. The congress focuses on cutting-edge technologies, besides discussing and developing a general legislative structure for autonomous transport.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191015006107/en/
Winners of the Dubai World Self-Driving Transport Challenge (Photo: AETOSWire)
The event is part of RTA’s efforts in support of the strategy unleashed by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make 25% of all trips in Dubai smart and driverless by 2030. The congress attracted 80 international experts, including five keynote speakers, who will be taking part in 40 lectures and 39 technical workshops.
The congress is shaping into an all-inclusive global platform for self-driving transport that brings together top experts, policymakers, technology developers, researchers and academia. The event aims to highlight the leading role of Dubai Government in self-driving transport and accelerate the drive to achieve the targets of Dubai Autonomous Transportation Strategy through attracting experts and technologies of self-driving transport to Dubai. The event also aims to raise public awareness about the latest technologies and future trends of transportation as well as identifying the potential impacts on investments and different transport strategies.
Dubai Challenge
Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport, which carries prize money of US$5.1 million (about 19m Dirhams) attracted 65 entities from 20 countries, 15 of them qualified for the finals. The challenge focused on the first and last-mile challenge of mobility journeys.
Five leading companies, three start-ups and seven local and foreign universities qualified for the finals. Qualifying vehicles were subjected to different scenarios and tests on a dedicated track tailor-made for testing such vehicles at the Dubai Silicon Oasis.
Tests carried included stopping at bus stops, forced stop, overtaking a stopping vehicle, overtaking a bike, and dealing with various traffic scenarios such as signals, pedestrian crossing, road works, and sand on road. Tests also covered negotiating a roundabout, handling of humps, rains and high-speed turns.
Nominees for the challenge were qualified on certain parameters including the status, credibility, vision, skills and relevant experience of the entity. They were then subjected to several tests in various categories to assess their performance under six key standards and 18 subsidiary standards. Key standards covered the operation plan, tolerance and reliability, sustainability and energy, customer experience, safety and security, and dealing with road users.
Awards
The list of winners was delivered by autonomous delivery bot Roxo developed by FedEx Express in a fitting move with Dubai being selected as the first city outside the USA to host the test of this personal delivery bot. French companies swept the prizes of leading companies amounting to USD 3 million. Gaussin won the sustainability and energy award, Navya won the durability and reliability award as well as the customers' experience award.
In the start-ups category the first USD 1 million went to Sensible 4 from Finland, while the runner-up was iAuto from Taiwan who bagged USD 500,000 while UAE-based Derq Company finished third.
Amongst the international universities, the winner was Freie Universität Berlin which received USD 200,000; while Carlos III de Madrid University won second place with USD 100,000 and the Australian University UTS came third. In the local universities, Dubai University finished first with USD 200,000; UAE University came second bagging USD 100,000 and Al Ain University was third.
The Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport comprised several phases. In February 2018 the challenge was announced, and in October 2018 qualifiers for Phase II were announced. In February 2019, Phase II started and in March tests started at Dubai Silicon Oasis. From April to June this year, a team made overseas visits to Taiwan, Finland, Australia, Germany and Spain to assess start-ups and academia. In July qualifiers arrived in Dubai to collect geographical data about test tracks and draw maps, and in August vehicle tests started on the challenge track. Winners were selected according to results achieved in tests.
*Source: AETOSWire
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191015006107/en/
Contact information
Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)
Maryam Al Balooshi, Manager, Media Communication
Marketing and Corporate Communication Department
Tel: +97142902699
Email Maryam.HAlblooshi@rta.ae
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
iQmetrix to Deliver 2026 Telecom Industry Address and Product Announcements, Unveiling the Next Wave of Intelligent Commerce14.9.2026 20:40:00 EEST | Press release
iQmetrix, the global provider of Intelligent Commerce Operating Systems for telecom, today opened registration for the 2026 Telecom Industry Address and Product Announcements, taking place Wednesday, October 28, 2026. For the first time in the event's history, iQmetrix will run two dedicated virtual sessions: one built specifically for European audiences, alongside its long-running North American event. Both are free to attend. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260914992633/en/ Now in its seventh year, the Industry Address has become the telecom channel's annual checkpoint: an unfiltered read on where the market is heading, delivered by a company that sits at the intersection of telcos, retailers, and the partners who serve them. The 2026 edition draws on a year of research and direct conversations across international markets. "We spend the year listening — to telcos, to retailers, to the partners building alon
The Estée Lauder Companies Announces Partnership with Profound to Expand AI Visibility Across Its Global Brand Portfolio14.9.2026 19:32:00 EEST | Press release
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL) today announced a global strategic partnership with Profound, the category-defining AI marketing platform, advancing its ambition to be prestige beauty’s leader in AI-native discovery. The partnership will provide the company with visibility into how its full portfolio of brands is represented across leading generative AI platforms, as well as opportunities to optimize that representation. This partnership establishes the company as the first in prestige beauty to deploy Profound’s capabilities globally across the company’s full portfolio and operationalize Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and AI marketing at scale. As consumers increasingly turn to ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI assistants to discover products, compare recommendations, and seek personalized beauty advice before a purchase, The Estée Lauder Companies is partnering with Profound to define the next era of beauty discovery. This partnership will equip the company with a unifie
AMAALA Yacht Club Opens, Putting the Red Sea on the Global Yachting Map14.9.2026 19:00:00 EEST | Press release
Red Sea Global (RSG), the regenerative tourism developer, has announced that AMAALA Yacht Club has officially begun operations, marking a major milestone in establishing the Saudi Red Sea as a new global destination for luxury yachting, sailing and marine tourism. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260914160771/en/ AMAALA Yacht Club, the new luxury yachting destination on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast. Nestled within AMAALA Marina Village, the AMAALA Yacht Club is now welcoming founding members and visiting yachts to moor and explore the destination. Located approximately 2,000 nautical miles from Monaco, the club provides a new winter destination for the world’s luxury sailing community, which traditionally migrates from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean or Indian Ocean from October. Positioned closer to the Mediterranean than the Caribbean, AMAALA offers an attractive winter cruising hub and a strategic gateway
Behind the Stage Lights: How Students Learned to Trust Their Voices with Doha Debates14.9.2026 16:40:00 EEST | Press release
During high school years in Model United Nations, Dahlia Al-Ansari learned to argue on behalf of a country she was assigned to represent. But when Doha Debates invited her to join a town hall debate in Toronto this July, she faced an unfamiliar challenge: sharing her own beliefs about a timely issue. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260914150232/en/ Students from Qatar, Canada and Mexico during their visit to the University of Toronto as part of the Doha Debates Town Hall experience in Canada. (Photo: AETOSWire) An 18-year-old biological sciences student at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Al-Ansari hadn’t traveled to defend a predetermined position. Instead, she discovered that she was there to think critically, express her own viewpoint and remain open to diverse perspectives. This shift required her to navigate uncharted waters, but “I’m happy that it did,” she says. “It’s showing me the importance of sp
Matt Shafer Joins Golub Capital as Head of Golub Equity Continuation Partners14.9.2026 16:30:00 EEST | Press release
Golub Capital (“the Firm”) today announced the appointment of Matt Shafer as Managing Director and Head of the Firm’s GP-led private equity secondaries strategy, Golub Equity Continuation Partners (“GECP”). In this role, he will be responsible for leading the continued growth and development of the strategy and helping expand the Firm’s equity investment capabilities. Matt will work closely with Greg Cashman, Vice Chair and Co-Head of Golub Capital’s Sponsor Finance practice, to expand Golub Capital’s activity in this growing market. Shafer brings nearly three decades of global experience as an investor, financier and advisor working with private equity firms. He was most recently Head of Capital Solutions and U.S. Private Equity at Northleaf Capital Partners. In this role, Shafer helped lead the firm’s private equity investment activities, including secondaries, co‑investments and structured capital. Prior to Northleaf, he was Partner and Head of Americas Private Equity at Vision Capi
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom