News

Abu Dhabi’s Robot Kitchen Is Serving Up Biryani, Not Burgers

Circus SE wants to put a tiny automated factory inside the buildings where Gulf residents live and work, bypassing part of last-mile delivery.

Published

1 hour ago

October 20, 2026

Nour Nasir

abu dhabi's robot kitchen is serving up biryani not burgers

Circus SE

The most telling thing about a new autonomous kitchen now running in Abu Dhabi’s Marina Square is what it won’t cook:

“We don’t do fast food,” says Nikolas Bullwinkel, Founder and CEO of Circus SE. “We’ve actively decided not to build a machine that can only do burgers”.

Instead, the CA-1 system is built around pot-based cooking: curries, pastas, soups and rice dishes. After experimenting with highly personalized recipes, Circus deliberately leaned back toward recognizable food. “We’re going with a chicken biryani because you know it,” Bullwinkel says of the AED 40 dish.

circus se ca-1 robot system

The Germany-based robotics and food technology company operates across eight countries, and Abu Dhabi is its first deployment outside Europe. More locations are expected there and in Dubai.

In Germany, its units can be placed in supermarkets, gas stations, airports and hospitals. In the Gulf, Bullwinkel wants them inside residential and office buildings, replacing some of the complexity of last-mile delivery. “We’re basically bringing a very tiny factory a few square meters into your building,” he says. Catering company Royal Prestige supplies the ingredients and knowledge of local tastes.

The CA-1 manages up to 36 refrigerated ingredient silos alongside automated induction cooking, robotic plating and a self-cleaning dishwasher. Two robotic arms move ingredients through the system with minimal human intervention. It can produce up to 120 hot meals an hour, and a meal such as rice and curry can take around three to four minutes.

Also Read: Ooredoo Qatar’s 5G+ Network Is Built For Machines As Much As People

Five cameras and multiple sensors monitor heat, temperature and consistency, an attempt to approximate what a chef perceives. “You can hear something gets burned, you can smell it, you can see it at some point,” Bullwinkel says. CircusOS, the company’s operating system, adjusts recipes in real time.

You might think of the platform as a threat to kitchen staff, but Bullwinkel frames Circus as a way for chefs to develop recipes and distribute them at scale. With that being said, rising labor costs and shortages are also part of his case for automation.

News

Sennheiser’s MOMENTUM 5 Series Bets On Batteries You Can Swap

Sennheiser is selling longevity in the UAE at AED 1,549 and AED 1,199 – but the launch doesn’t say what a replacement battery costs.

Published

5 hours ago

October 20, 2026

Dana Saadeh

Sennheiser

The most telling detail in Sennheiser’s latest launch isn’t a driver or a codec, it’s a small Phillips-head screwdriver. That’s because the new MOMENTUM 5 Wireless over-ear headphones introduce a user-replaceable 700 mAh battery that owners can swap in minutes, along with user-replacable earpads. The company’s new MOMENTUM True Wireless 5 earbuds also apply the same logic, with replaceable batteries in both the buds and the charging case.

Sennheiser claims the over-ears’ replaceable parts eliminate product obsolescence, and promises ongoing firmware updates to their DSP and wireless engines. Saahil Kumar, Country Head, Sennheiser (Consumer), India & Middle East, says the swappable battery and plastic-free packaging show that “high-performance sound and environmental responsibility can, and must, exist in the same product”. The obsolescence claim holds only if spare batteries stay available and affordable, and the launch doesn’t say what one will cost or how long they’ll be supplied.

Beyond the battery, the over-ears’ changes are evolutionary, and that’s by design. “With MOMENTUM 5 Wireless, we focused on refining the entire experience without straying from the formula that made its predecessor such a success,” Kumar says.

The over-ears keep their predecessor’s HD 600-inspired 42mm transducer, manufactured in Tullamore, Ireland. They carry Hi-Res Audio certification and support aptX Lossless via Snapdragon Sound. An eight-microphone hybrid ANC system promises up to three times stronger midrange noise suppression than MOMENTUM 4, and battery life reaches up to 57 hours with ANC engaged.

Also Read: Shokz OpenDots 2 Review: Clip-On Audio Gets A Bass-Heavy Makeover

The earbuds feature a fin-free housing that was redesigned using data from thousands of ear models, and Sennheiser says 73% of testers found it more comfortable than the previous generation. A 7mm TrueResponse transducer pairs with Bluetooth 6.0 and aptX Lossless for audio up to 24-bit/96kHz, and adaptive hybrid ANC includes an automatic anti-wind mode. Playback runs up to 12 hours per charge, or 40 with the case. Both models are optimized for Dolby Atmos with head-tracking.

MOMENTUM 5 Wireless is available now in the UAE at AED 1,549, with MOMENTUM True Wireless 5 at AED 1,199, on Amazon.ae and at retail outlets nationwide.