SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)

“If it is not clean, then it is not sustainable,” was the message from a young researcher at ADIPEC 2026. Emerging innovators showcased advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, carbon capture, and renewable energy.

Their projects reflected ambitions for a cleaner and more efficient future.
Speaking to Aletihad, students, engineers and researchers shared their innovative projects and perspectives on addressing energy challenges.

They highlighted the role of technology and scientific research in developing sustainable solutions. They also explored what matters most for the future of energy: affordability, sustainability or reliability.

Rawan Shaat, a second-year biomedical engineering student at Abu Dhabi University, presented a multi-floor delivery robot designed to navigate buildings and operate elevators independently, addressing limitations in existing delivery systems.

“The main problem is most of the delivery robots can go only or can work only with one floor,” she said, highlighting the need for more advanced solutions in the UAE, where “we have many buildings and many apartments with many floors.”

She explained that the robot first creates a map of its surroundings before entering the elevator, where an AI-supported camera scans the buttons to identify the correct floor.

Explaining how the robot completes deliveries independently, she added: “So he knows the buttons and everything in the elevator, and he can press the specific button.”

Imane Tfeil, a PhD student in chemical engineering at Khalifa University, discussed efforts to develop more sustainable water treatment technologies; particularly for the oil and gas industry and countries with limited freshwater resources, such as the UAE.

“The current research direction is shifting toward water treatment, especially in the oil and gas industry,” she said, highlighting the importance of efficient water management in water-scarce regions.

She explained that existing treatment methods present challenges because “the conventional and traditional methods are costly and they demand high energy.”

To address these challenges, she highlighted alternative technologies, saying: “We treat that in our research by using photocatalytic and electrocatalytic approach which is more greener and require less energy.”

Doaa Ben Ameur, a PhD student in chemical engineering at Khalifa University, highlighted research into carbon capture technologies that could support efforts to reduce emissions.

“So, basically, we have a challenge related to carbon emissions,” she said, emphasising the importance of climate action as “we have to achieve the goal by 2050 of reducing these emissions to net zero.”

As part of these efforts, she presented the potential of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), whose development was recognised with the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

“MOFs are tiny molecules at the atomic scale that can capture carbon dioxide,” she explained, highlighting their potential use in carbon dioxide absorption columns to capture emissions before they reach the atmosphere.

Nasayem Al Ali, a mechanical engineering student at Abu Dhabi University, presented a robotic solution designed to improve pipeline inspections while reducing operational risks and costs.

“The faults in the ad-hoc pipelines are usually very costly,” she said, noting that manual inspections also present safety challenges because “it is very dangerous for a human to investigate it by himself.”

To address these concerns, he explained that “this robot was built to be able to detect the fault internally,” helping identify potential problems while reducing the need for human intervention.

Abdelrahman Hassan, Engineer, Abu Dhabi University, is working on an AI-powered system designed to help households better manage their electricity consumption.

“We will try to bridge the gap between the user's residential awareness of his electricity energy consumption and how canhe reduce the energy consumption,” he said.

Explaining the technology, he noted that “it can read the user's electricity consumption,” with the data sent to ChatGPT for analysis to provide “personalised coaching recommendations to the user” rather than general energy-saving advice.

Hasan Hamdan, Research Associate, Abu Dhabi University, discussed a project exploring the potential of wind energy to reduce reliance on fossil fuels at offshore oil platforms.

“Today we are aiming to reduce the use of fossil fuels to cover up the need of energy at offshore oil platforms,” he said, explaining that the proposed approach involves “introducing the concept of using wind turbines” capable of operating in the Gulf's relatively low wind speeds.

Highlighting the technologies being explored, he added: “The first one is the latest wind turbine and the second one is the vertical axis wind turbine.”

Beyond technological innovations, young researchers also highlighted affordability, sustainability and reliability as key energy priorities.

Hanan Mohammed, Scientist, New York University Abu Dhabi, emphasised that all three factors are essential to ensuring that energy technologies remain accessible and sustainable.

“If a technology is not cheap, then the whole world cannot afford it,” she said, adding that “if it is not clean, then it is not sustainable.”

She also stressed the importance of reliable energy supplies in supporting economic development, asking: “And if it is not reliable, then how does the economy move forward?”

Similarly, Fatima Al Towati, Computer Engineering Student at Abu Dhabi University, highlighted sustainability and reliability as her main priorities for the future of energy.

“I prefer having reliable and clean energy,” she said, while emphasising the importance of responsible energy use.

Amnah Al Zahmi, Junior Research Scientist, MSc, at New York University Abu Dhabi, highlighted her research into locally isolated microalgae as a potential sustainable source of biofuel and an alternative to palm oil.

“What matters about energy is that it is reliable and clean,” she said, explaining that “it is known that algae is a sustainable source of biofuel.”

Her research focuses on extracting oil from microalgae isolated in Abu Dhabi, potentially reducing reliance on palm oil production and its environmental impacts.