Fawaz Jalal

Airport security screening is largely concentrated at fixed checkpoints, leaving limited opportunities for continuous monitoring within terminal areas. This paper presents the design and preliminary validation of a ROS2-based autonomous mobile robot intended to provide an additional security layer through real-time object detection, tracking, mapping, navigation, and future integration of non-ionizing terahertz-(THz) imaging. The prototype integrates an NVIDIA Jetson Orin, Intel RealSense D415 camera, RPLidar-A1, Arduino-based motor control, and a mobile platform. ROS2, RViz2, Navigation2, and YOLOv11 were used to combine perception, visualization, motion control, and system monitoring. Laboratory tests demonstrated live indoor mapping, detection of people and objects, persistent tracking identities, target tracking, motor operation, and wireless access. A survey of 54 respondents examined passenger acceptability; half expressed comfort with mobile robotic scanning, while 75.9% believed it could improve airport security. Acceptance depended strongly on non-ionizing operation, privacy protection, transparency, and human oversight. Because the THz camera was not experimentally integrated owing to budget constraints, concealed-object detection remains a proposed capability. The study establishes a functional foundation for future THz-RGB-D-LiDAR fusion, quantitative performance evaluation, cybersecurity assessment, and controlled airport trials. It also identifies key technical, ethical, regulatory, and human-factor requirements for responsible deployment in crowded, safety-critical airport terminal environments.

Bahrain relies heavily on centralized seawater desalination, driven by minimal rainfall (70–80mm/year), high evaporation (>2,000 mm/year), and depleted groundwater, while conventional reverse osmosis and multi-stage-flash systems demand 3–22kWh/m³ and grid scale infrastructure. This paper presents the thermal design, analytical modeling, experimental validation and performance evaluation of a passive single slope solar still adapted to Bahrain's climate. Using energy balance equations and Dunkle's correlation for internal heat and mass transfer, hourly simulation under representative summer conditions (G=850W/m², Ta = 40°C, Vw=3m/s) predicts a baseline productivity of 2.05L/m²/day at 34% thermal efficiency. Experimental measurements obtained from a fabricated prototype showed good agreement with the model. Sensitivity analyses across water depth (0.02–0.15m) and glass tilt (15°–35°) identify design tradeoffs, and three enhancement strategies; latent heat recovery, basin fins, and an external air cooled condenser raise productivity to 2.93L/m²/day (+43%) in combination. The design projects 720L/m²/year at a fabrication cost of ~68BHD, supporting a viable commercial deployment pathway aligned with Bahrain Vision 2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), and 13 (Climate Action).