Laila Mohammed

CAIRO: A team of students at the faculty of artificial intelligence at Kafr El-Sheikh University in Egypt have designed a robot, controlled by an app, that can distribute examination papers across the university’s campus.

“Our vision was to conceive a project that would be of direct use to the university. The robot, infused with artificial intelligence and powered by the ROS (Robot Operating System), streamlines the process of disseminating papers and documents across university buildings,” said Ahmed Ragab Ibrahim El-Shennawy, one of the 12 students involved in the project under the guidance of professor Mohamed Abdo Qassem.

“The robot utilizes two principal models,” he continued. “Initially, it leverages a machine-learning model to ascertain the best parking spots by analyzing various factors such as distance, street width, and traffic. This model is based on historical data.”

Haneen Mohammed Kamal Mohammed, another student on the team, added: “We’ve incorporated a Computer Vision Model, which deciphers road signs like turn indicators, stop signs, and pedestrian signals. This optimizes the robot’s decision-making as it navigates the university grounds.”

Mohammed emphasized the multifaceted advantages of the robot, namely the substantial time and effort saved in shuttling papers between buildings.

“By harnessing cutting-edge technologies, the robot ensures swift and error-free deliveries, enhancing the overall campus experience,” she added.

Their teammate Aladdin Jamal Abbas Abdel Hamid suggested the robot, or others like it, could be used for a multitude of jobs on campus in the future.

“Beyond distributing papers, this robot could be pivotal in tasks like waste collection, recycling, or even transporting equipment for university events,” he said. “This not only mitigates dependence on manual labor but also champions sustainability and efficiency on campus.”