NUST holds first international conference on robotics

The first two-day International Conference on Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (ICRAI) was organized at National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (EandME).
The conference was held under the flagship of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and NUST. ICRAI is the first of its series, and this conference will be held biannually. This conference covers the latest emerging trends in the fields of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence including Intelligent Mechatronics and Robotics, Haptics, Tele and Medical robotics, Unmanned Vehicles, Prosthetics, Micro and Nano robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Neuro and Fuzzy control, Human Machine Interface and Automation.
Commandant College of E&MEMaj Gen Obaid Bin Zakria welcomed all participants and guests at the opening ceremony on Monday. He highlighted the importance of research conferences around the world.
He appreciated efforts of the Department of Mechatronics Engineering for arranging the event. He said that NUST College of E&ME had been home to novel, state of the art projects and the research work being done there was no less than the work done internationally.
Dr Mahmood Anwar Khan, the conference chair, informed that more than 110 research papers had been submitted to the conference and after a thorough review, 20 had been accepted for oral presentation and 13 for posters. He also mentioned that the conference had been graced by four international key note speakers from USA, UK and Korea.
Dr Francisco Sepulveda from University of Essex, UK, gave an interesting keynote talk on Brain Computer Interface Systems. At the end of his talk, he praised the level of research being done in Pakistan.
Dr Lynn E Parker from University of Tennessee, USA in her recorded message said, “The conduct of such an event in Pakistan shows the research maturity of the academic institutions.”
Dean NUST College of E&ME Dr Younus Javed emphasized that such events and meetings provided a chance to form collaborative projects and research groups.
Head of Mechatronics Engineering Department Dr Javaid Iqbal appreciated the turnout at the conference and said that the aim of the conference was a collaboration of national and international researchers from a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds to bridge the gap.
At the end of the ceremony, Chief Guest Dr Javaid R Laghari, Higher Education Commission (HEC) chairman presented souvenirs to foreign keynote speakers.
He congratulated NUST for arranging the first international conference on Robotics and Artificial Intelligence in Pakistan.
He mentioned that conferences like this were not only a platform for great minds to meet but also a venue for research collaboration. He said that everyone should make the most of this opportunity and socialize and discuss latest topics of research. He also mentioned that this conference was the first of its kind and expected it to grow over the years into one of the most prestigious conferences in the field of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.