Tuesday 10 / February / 2026
Muscat: The activities of the Third International Conference on Unmanned Vehicle Systems (UVS-Oman 2026) commenced on Tuesday at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU).
The opening of he conference was held under the auspices of Sheikh Dr. Ali Masoud Al Sunaidi, Advisor at the Diwan of Royal Court.
In his opening speech, 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, alongside dedicated competitions for school and university students designed 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 that the global market for aerial, land, and maritime unmanned vehicles is experiencing increasing expansion due to the need for smarter and more efficient solutions. He clarified that these technologies face significant challenges, including 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, beginning with three specialized workshops addressing core pillars in the development and application of unmanned systems. The first workshop focuses on the evolution of drones, artificial intelligence, and sensing technologies, specifically regarding inspection applications in the oil and gas sectors. The second workshop addresses robust motion control for autonomous underwater vehicles, while the third discusses counter-drone systems in terms of technologies, operations, and case studies.
The conference features two main keynote presentations. The first addresses changing cybersecurity requirements in the era of autonomous systems and the progress toward reaching Level 5 autonomy (full automation). The second keynote covers the design, control, and applications of bio-inspired aircraft.
Furthermore, the conference includes presentations on ten industrial applications for unmanned vehicle systems in Omani industry, focusing on aerial robots for inspection, surveillance, and environmental protection, as well as autonomous systems for safety, inspection, and operations. This is accompanied by six parallel scientific sessions presenting peer-reviewed research papers.
Organized on the sidelines of the conference are several competitions at the national level, including a pipeline robotics competition for college and university students, an autonomous car competition for public and private school students, and the Oman AI-Enhanced Drone Competition, organized by the College of Engineering in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology.
