News Review: Progress of Embraer's Flying Car, AliExpress Fine, and AI Development

The Minister of Science, Research and Technology, Hossein Simai-Sarraf, arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday to participate in the sixth meeting of the Organization for Economic Co-operation (ECO) Ministers of Science and to hold talks with high-ranking Pakistani officials.

Arrival and Visit Agenda

Upon arrival at Islamabad International Airport, Simai-Sarraf was met by Ambassador Reza Amiri-Mokaddam, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Science and Technology of Pakistan, according to the IRNA agency. During his visit, the minister intends to participate in the meeting of the ECO Science Fund Board of Trustees and deliver a keynote speech at the sixth ECO ministerial meeting.

The agenda also includes the issue of electing the next president of the ECO Science Fund, which is currently headed by Kamel Tayebi from Iran. Over the three days of his stay, Simai-Sarraf plans to meet with the Pakistani Minister of Science and Technology and the Chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), visit several leading universities in Islamabad, tour the ECO Science Fund, and hold discussions with Persian language professors.

Proposal for a Joint Scientific Group

In parallel with the seventh Turkish Educational Technology Summit (TETZ 2026), held in Istanbul from June 26 to 28, the Pakistani State Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training, Wajeeha Kamar, met with Simai-Sarraf. She proposed that the two countries establish a joint scientific working group.

According to Kamar, recent achievements of Iran on the international stage serve as a source of inspiration for many countries, including Pakistan. The official representative emphasized the emotional, spiritual, historical, and cultural ties between the two states, stating that Pakistan will support Iran's initiatives and actions, and that relations between Tehran and Islamabad will remain strong and stable based on these commonalities. She added that both sides need to develop cooperation to fully utilize each other's potential.

Experience Exchange and Cooperation

Wajeeha Kamar noted that deep linguistic, religious, and civilizational ties contribute to the development of interaction, and Pakistan can benefit from Iran's valuable experience in areas such as skills training, agriculture, construction, and manufacturing. For his part, Simai-Sarraf stated that the current scientific, academic, and technological cooperation between Iran and Pakistan does not meet the potential of both sides. He also highlighted the need to establish departments for Persian and Urdu languages in the respective countries.

The Minister of Science announced the readiness of the Sistan-Baluchistan University to accept Pakistani students, emphasizing the university's scientific opportunities. Furthermore, on the sidelines of the 43rd Session of the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from October 30 to November 13, 2024, Simai-Sarraf met with Wajeeha Kamar. During this meeting, the parties emphasized cultural and civilizational bonds and called for the expansion of scientific, academic, and educational cooperation. The Pakistani minister highly praised Iran's achievements in technology and digital transformation, while Simai-Sarraf expressed the country's readiness to share scientific and technological experience with Pakistan.

A question posed by a student prompted Dr. Sudipti Arora to rethink the purpose of her scientific work. While teaching, the biotechnologist, who holds a PhD from IIT Roorkee, received the question: 'Madam, is this useful anywhere outside the classroom?' Instead of leaving the question unanswered, she decided to take science beyond the laboratory and apply it in the village of Aandi Gaon in Rajasthan, where she believed practical solutions could improve daily life.

Waste Elimination Project

She developed a plan aimed at making the village completely waste-free and successfully secured a grant of 2 crore rupees to achieve this goal. On the day the funding was approved, she was diagnosed with Stage II cancer. Nevertheless, while undergoing chemotherapy, she relentlessly worked on the project, determined not to let it stop.

Water and Waste Treatment Systems

One of the first solutions she implemented was a patented vermifiltration technology. Dr. Arora notes that this unique technology is being implemented in the village of Aandi in Rajasthan. It uses worms, layers of gravel, and solar-powered pumps to treat wastewater from kitchens and bathrooms, which is then used in agriculture.

The school in the village also participated in this initiative. Food scraps, previously sent to trash bins, are now fed into a biogas plant that supplies fuel for the school kitchen. One student explained that this biogas is used in the school kitchen, and all other waste is directed there for biogas production.

Wastewater Treatment System Development

During her first visit to Aandi, Sudipti noticed that about 80 percent of the village's wastewater was discharged into a water body before being used for irrigation. This sparked the idea to solve this problem by creating a natural system capable of naturally purifying the wastewater. Consequently, a technology for an artificial wetland with a capacity of 20 thousand cubic meters per day (KLD) was designed and developed. Now, plants purify this wastewater, and the water is used for sustainable agricultural practices.

Project Results

Today, Aandi Gaon is a self-sufficient zero-waste village. Every family separates waste at the source, composts kitchen waste, and participates in daily garbage collection. Water is purified and reused, organic waste returns to the soil, and very little waste leaves the village. What started as a question from one student has turned into a working example of how science, determination, and collective community effort can change the lifestyle of an entire village.

Meta has initiated a program in Brazil aimed at developers, students, researchers, and professionals interested in creating new applications for its smart glasses. This initiative seeks to expand the range of functionalities available on the device.

Program and Collaboration

In collaboration with CEIA-UFG, the program offers training, a hackathon, and cash prizes. Furthermore, it fosters a crucial debate accompanying the launch of these glasses: the issue of user privacy.

Focus on Brazilian Development

After reaching millions of users, Meta's smart glasses are entering a new phase where the company aims to increase the number of compatible applications, betting on Brazilian talent to accelerate this process. The AI Glasses Brazil Program, developed in partnership with the Center of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence of the Federal University of Goiás (CEIA-UFG), invites participants to design new applications using features such as camera, audio, voice commands, and artificial intelligence.

Proposals can cover various areas, including health, education, accessibility, tourism, productivity, and creativity. The program is structured in several phases: online technical training; a virtual idea marathon with mentoring and lectures; an in-person hackathon held at Meta's headquarters in São Paulo for selected teams; and finally, cash prizes and the delivery of smart glasses to the winners.

Prize Details and Registration

Registration remains open until July 30th. Teams advancing to the in-person phase will have their transportation and accommodation costs covered by the company. The main winners will receive US$3,000 (approximately R$15,000), while second and third place winners will be awarded US$2,000 (about R$10,000) and US$1,000 (about R$5,000), respectively. All finalists will also receive a pair of Meta glasses.

Current Glass Functionalities

The device's capabilities go beyond simple photography and video recording. For example, it is possible to send images via WhatsApp using only voice commands or view data directly on the lenses and perform actions through gestures. Despite these functionalities, the application offering is still limited, motivating Meta to provide a development kit to attract new solution creators.

Privacy Concerns

With the increase in functions, concerns grow. A notable example was the development by Harvard students of a facial recognition system for Meta glasses, capable of displaying internet information about filmed people. Additionally, there have been reports of the equipment being used by United States immigration agents during operations, intensifying the debate on surveillance.

Another sensitive aspect relates to media storage; photos and videos are kept in Meta's cloud and can be used to train its AI models, including with the help of human reviewers. The company also had to respond to attempts by users to disable the recording LED. Currently, the glasses stop recording if this indicator is damaged. Although the program opens doors for innovation, it is expected that these new applications will evolve alongside mechanisms that reinforce privacy protection.