News

New High-Tech Immersive Gaming Attraction Arrives In Dubai

The City Centre Mirdif facility comes courtesy of Canada’s Activate Games and blends fitness and gaming for thrilling, tech-savvy entertainment.

Published

2 years ago

October 30, 2024

Nour Nasir

new high-tech immersive gaming attraction arrives in dubai

Activate Games

Majid Al Futtaim Entertainment has joined forces with Canada’s Activate Games to bring a thrilling, tech-driven gaming experience to City Centre Mirdif. The new facility is Activate’s debut project in the MENA region, and reimagines indoor entertainment by merging gaming with fitness to specifically appeal to Dubai’s tech-focused population.

Activate at City Centre Mirdif offers nine unique game rooms that incorporate advanced technology to create an environment where players must jump, dodge, climb, and solve puzzles in more than 50 interactive games. A highlight of the experience, the Mega Grid, has already gone viral on TikTok, attracting attention with its dazzling array of over 500 lights that respond to players’ movements.

Activate’s Dubai location includes 10 levels of game difficulty, spanning from beginner to advanced, making it accessible to all skill levels. Adam Schmidt, CEO and founder of Activate, emphasizes that this experience goes beyond typical fitness or gaming: “With our innovative games engineered for repeat play, we offer a dynamic space for friends, families, and teams to connect, have fun, and stay active. This is a fresh take on entertainment that has made Activate the fastest-growing entertainment concept in the world”.

A central feature of Activate’s success lies in its use of RFID technology, which enables seamless tracking of player progress and achievements. Players earn rewards and badges based on game performance, adding a layer of gamification that keeps them coming back. “Our use of RFID technology allows for seamless tracking and progress, and our reward and badge system adds extra motivation, with players earning badges and rewards based on their achievements,” Schmidt explains.

Also Read: Wa’ed Ventures Pledges $100M For Early-Stage AI Startup Funding

As interest in gaming continues to surge in the Middle East, Activate’s timing is ideal to meet the region’s increasing demand for tech-driven entertainment. Positioned as the first experience of its kind in the MENA region, Activate at City Centre Mirdif is set to attract a broad range of visitors, from families to gaming enthusiasts, all seeking a novel and active form of entertainment, he says.

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

6 days 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.