OREANDA-NEWS. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai visited the GITEX Technology Week 2014 today, and tested some of the cool technology applications which were developed by Emirates' Innovation Lab.

Set up in 2012, the Innovation Lab is a platform where Emirates' creative minds can come together and brainstorm on pioneering ideas, develop them, and apply these ideas to the business to achieve improved efficiencies and productivity. This is the first time that the Emirates Group is participating in the GITEX Technology Week 2014.

"Technology plays a crucial role in all aspects of Emirates' business. We see it as a key enabler for success in delivering world-class service to our customers, as well as driving business productivity. Emirates has earned a reputation for being one of the most innovative companies in the industry, and GITEX allows us to highlight some of the creative work being done by our Innovation Lab. We are glad to participate this year and look forward to exchanging ideas with the other participants," said Boutros Boutros, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Marketing & Brand.

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai visits Emirates' stand at GITEX Technology Week 2014 at Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre. Sheikh Hamdan is seen with Oculus, one of the featured Emirates' proprietary technology applications. With Sheikh Hamdan (on his right) is HE Helal Saeed Almarri, director general, Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing

Some of Emirates' proprietary technology applications that will be showcased at GITEX are:

Oculus and Google Street View

The Innovation Lab has combined Google Street View with Oculus to give an immersive experience of Emirates' flagship A380 aircraft - allowing a person to be "transported" on board and have a virtual tour of the Onboard Lounge, the Shower Spa, and the Business and First Class cabins. The Innovation Lab is exploring new uses of such leading-edge technologies for their potential use in cabin crew training and applications.

Kinect

Everyone's familiar with Microsoft Kinect for video gaming. Creative minds behind the Innovation Lab are taking the motion sensor technology a step further to see if they can create new interactive experiences for Emirates customers and colleagues.

The Emirates App

Passengers want to be kept up-to-date with information at every point of their journey, from searching, to booking and even during their flight. In March this year, Emirates launched The Emirates App for iPad. It simplifies how you book and manage your trips when you're on the go. The App also tracks our flights wherever they are in the world on our moving map, and provide personal notifications about your flight and our services. The Emirates App has been downloaded over 180,000 times.

In addition, Emirates will display its ever-popular First Class Private Suite which the airline developed and introduced into service in 2003. It was a trailblazing idea to bring back the glamour of air travel. Emirates now has over 1,500 Private Suites in the skies and is always looking for ways to improve this product.

As well as offering ultimate comfort, the Private Suites are packed with technology that entertains and puts passengers in control of their environment. A large touch-screen TV screen (up to 27 inches) has up to 2,000 channels of entertainment. A secondary tablet controls the seat, privacy doors and lighting. Use the tablet to follow flight on the moving map, and see the world from 40,000ft on the aircraft's external cameras.

Emirates' technologies are displayed at the Dubai Smart Government stand (S3-A21, S2-A21) at Sheikh Saeed Hall 3. GITEX Technology Week 2014 takes place from 12th to 16th October at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre. Launched in 1981, GITEX is the the most widely recognised and annually anticipated ICT trade event across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. The event continually identifies the hottest global technology trends led by industry thought leaders.