Abu Dhabi-based Technology Innovation Institute (TII) has become the first organisation in the Middle East to receive Qualcomm’s Tech for Good Grant.
The grant will support a collaboration to adapt TII’s SADEED predictive maintenance platform for Qualcomm’s Dragonwing IQ9 edge AI processor. The technology is designed to help cargo drones and future electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft detect early signs of component degradation onboard, without relying on continuous cloud connectivity.
Running the analysis onboard could help operators monitor safety-critical systems in environments where stable connectivity is not guaranteed. It also supports a shift from scheduled inspections toward condition-based maintenance, according to the announcement.
SADEED builds on more than two years of research by TII’s AI Diagnostics and Prognostics team within its Propulsion and Space Research Center. The collaboration moves the platform closer to real-world deployment and adds to TII’s work supporting Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Air Mobility ecosystem, including the technical foundations for the UAE’s planned future air corridors.
TII is the research arm of the Advanced Technology Research Council and operates nine research centres covering areas including AI, autonomous robotics, advanced materials, quantum computing and renewable energy.
Source: Middle East AI News
