Smart Services | MBRL
Our Technology
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Library uses the latest technology to help store, retrieve and disseminate information, guide our visitors in their journey of discovery and tell the story of Dubai's own cultural journey from maritime trading post, to the vibrant, cosmopolitan city that it is today. Technologies employed by the library include artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), holograms, RFID and smart robotics.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Library is one of the most technologically advanced libraries in the world, harnessing some of the latest technologies across its physical, digital and extended reality spaces. The following are some of the technologies that we use to enhance your library experience.
Smart Services
We use augmented reality and holographic technology to help us share stories and knowledge with visitors to the library. Ask our library staff or robot assistants for more information.
Our library uses Pepper, the world’s first social humanoid robot, to provide assistance to the public. Our Pepper robots are friendly and helpful, able to recognise faces and basic human emotions. For example, you can ask one of our robot assistants to tell you about the building facilities, direct you to one of our collections or provide you with a wide range of information on library content, services or guidelines. They also tell children's stories. Each robot is also extremely energy efficient using a similar amount of energy as a lightbulb.
Our integrated library system allows members to search and request books via our website or via systems in the library building. These books are then retrieved by one of five robots in our AutoStore and delivered to our information desk on the Ground Floor via monorail within minutes for members to check out. Our AutoStore is capable of storing more than 900,000 books and library system can find and retrieve up to 125 books per hour.
Our self-checkout kiosks allow members to checkout their own books for reading. As a member, you will be able to checkout your own books without the assistance of library staff and the system will automatically attribute those books to your membership account. These can be found in a few different locations throughout the library.
You'll find smart shelf units on the Ground Floor that allow members to return borrowed books directly to shelves, which are then registered as returned in our integrated library system.
