Muscat: The activities of the Third International Conference on Unmanned Vehicle Systems (UVS-Oman 2026) commenced today at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). The opening of the conference was held under the auspices of Sheikh Dr. Ali Masoud Al Sunaidi, Advisor at the Diwan of Royal Court.
According to Oman News Agency, Dr. Nabil Zahran Al Rawahi, Dean of the College of Engineering, explained that the third edition of the conference has expanded to include interactive educational workshops focusing on key industrial applications. These workshops are designed alongside dedicated competitions for school and university students to refine their skills and qualify them to work with the associated technologies in this field.
Dr. Hadj Bourdoucen delivered the conference committee's speech, noting the increasing expansion of the global market for aerial, land, and maritime unmanned vehicles. He highlighted the challenges these technologies face, such as enhancing security and surveillance, developing collision avoidance capabilities, improving reliable communication in complex environments, and increasing operational capacity and endurance.
The conference activities will span three consecutive days, starting with three specialized workshops addressing core pillars in the development and application of unmanned systems. Workshops will cover topics including the evolution of drones, artificial intelligence, and sensing technologies in the oil and gas sectors, robust motion control for autonomous underwater vehicles, and counter-drone systems.
Additionally, the conference features two main keynote presentations addressing changing cybersecurity requirements in autonomous systems and the design, control, and applications of bio-inspired aircraft. Presentations on ten industrial applications for unmanned vehicle systems in Omani industry will focus on aerial robots and autonomous systems for various operational needs. This is accompanied by six parallel scientific sessions presenting peer-reviewed research papers.
Organized on the sidelines of the conference are competitions at the national level, including a pipeline robotics competition, an autonomous car competition, and the Oman AI-Enhanced Drone Competition, organized by the College of Engineering in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology.