The first-ever and the biggest show in the Arab world is officially on following a stunning opening ceremony watched by the entire world. Countless technological advances will be on display at the Dubai Expo 2020 as nations share their developments in innovation and research designed for an increasingly connected world. The event organizers are expecting footfalls of over 25 million during the 6-month event. Pavillons for more than 190 countries is spread across an area of 4.38 square kilometers of the Dubai South District, near the Al-Maktoum International Airport, and will be divided into three thematic districts -- Opportunity, Mobility, and Sustainability.
Each nation's pavilion will display distinctive innovations across sectors that are aimed at creating a better future for the human race in the coming 6 months. Here are some key innovation and technology attractions to watch out for.
Etisalat Digital Lounge: The technological support for making the Expo 2020 Dubai vision a reality has been provided by Etisalat along with other technology partners. Expo 2020 Dubai is Etisalat’s first commercial 5G enterprise customer in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (Measa) region to access 5G services. To provide a state-of-the-art digital experience to make the Expo site into one of the smartest, fastest, and most connected site on earth, the Etisalat fiber network extends to every corner of the site to ensure that visitors can experience seamless uninterrupted services with best-in-class download and upload speeds, high-quality content and minimal latency. The Expo 2020 Dubai site has more than 700 km of highly resilient and multi-redundant fiber network, which is four times the distance between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Etisalat has provided digital and telecom services with a 5G network and redundant wifi networks to support immersive digital experience using cutting-edge innovation and technology that the world has ever seen.
Virgin Hyperloop: At the mobility district, visitors can experience a futuristic transport system by sitting on a cutaway Virgin Hyperloop passenger pod as well as a cargo pod replica displayed at DP World’s FLOW pavilion. Hyperloop technology is anticipated to be a pioneer in the global on-demand logistics market.
Alif: The Mobility Pavilion will take visitors on a time travel to discover how people, goods, ideas and data are interacting in ever more complex ways by displaying the latest technological innovations related to mobility. The building is designed to achieve a LEED Gold rating and will be repurposed as a high-quality office building as part of the wider legacy plan.
Korean Pavillon: A country that boasts of hosting two World Expos – the first one in 1993 at Daejeon and in 2012 at the coastal city of Yeosu, the Korean pavillon takes visitors on a journey of mobility by educating them on the social and technological trends in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Visitors’ emoji or digital twin will be created on the mobile device given before the tour and the mobile guide will give directions about interactive exhibits such as flap vision, mobile augmented reality (AR), vertical cinema and kinetic sculpture, etc. It is also one of the biggest country pavilion, covering a large stretch of 4,651 square metres.
The Good Place Pavillon: Designed to be a hub for human interaction, The Good Place provides a multi-sensory interactive experience to explore the innovators and their impact on the community. This multi-disciplinary zone brings together the diverse and creative nature of the Innovator community and their projects.
Robot orchestra at Germany Pavillion: To witness the wonder of artificial intelligence, visitors can head down to the Cultural Lab to see the robots singing in harmony, where a robot would be playing Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata as one of the unique performances at the Expo 2020.
UK’s Poem Pavilion: The Poem Pavilion uses advanced machine learning algorithms to transform the single-word input of visitors into collective poems, which will be displayed on the wooden structural façade. This pavilion is designed by celebrated stage designer Es Devlin who is the first woman to be commissioned by the UK since world expositions debut in 1851.
China’s panda robot: Built by UBTECH, a Chinese company, a robotic panda named Youyou operated by automatic navigation and hand-eye coordination can move, draw and walk, displaying China’s superior capabilities in artificial intelligence and robotics. Youyou can provide information on smart cities, agriculture techniques and environmentally friendly practices via interactive 3D displays. A large number of visitors are expected at the China Pavillon, which occupies 4,636 square meters of the Expo site. The bear will provide information on smart cities, agriculture techniques and environmentally friendly practices as it takes visitors through large interactive 3D displays.
Solar-powered home of tomorrow: DEWA’s consistent innovations in providing the best of utility services in Dubai has been exemplified at its Pavillon designed with solar roof, a temperature-buffering entryway to maximise power efficiency and offers plenty of futuristic elements, such as a drone-delivery hatch and a weight-measuring bathroom floor.
The Nigeria Tech Conference: Visitors can see the latest emerging technology in Africa and what investment opportunities are on offer for businesses. The conference will focus on showcasing the advancements in technology and its successes in Nigeria.
High-tech Masterpiece twin: The Italy pavilion will display a five-meter-tall copy of Michelangelo’s David sculpture, printed in 3D in a high-tech reproduction project that blends history with the innovation-driven present.
Augmented-reality attractions: For those who cannot visit the event in person, the Virtual Expo is offering a new way to learn, play, interact, and be entertained from anywhere in the world.