News

RØDE’s Low-Profile Studio Arm Is Designed To Stay Out Of Shot

The $139 LPA1 carries up to 2kg, more than any other RØDE studio arm, and can hold cameras and lights as well as microphones.

Published

3 weeks ago

October 2, 2026

Nour Nasir

RØDE

On a video podcast, the arm holding the microphone can easily end up in the shot. Announced on September 29, the LPA1 from Sydney-based audio company RØDE is designed to avoid that. The low-profile studio arm sits below the camera’s line of sight, so it stays out of frame without pushing the microphone away from the speaker.

RØDE says the arm fits discreetly into any recording, broadcast or video podcast setup, and that its low profile makes it well suited to video podcasting, live streaming and other on-camera work. In those settings, the company argues, the hardware should serve the person on screen rather than distract from them.

At 2kg, the LPA1’s payload capacity is the highest of any studio arm RØDE makes. The arm supports both end-address and side-address microphones, from dynamic models such as RØDE’s PodMic, PodMic USB and Procaster to large-diaphragm condensers including the Broadcaster and the NT1 range. Its all-metal build is meant to handle heavier professional microphones and studio equipment, while universal 1/4″, 3/8″ and 5/8″ threads extend compatibility to cameras, lights and other accessories. According to RØDE, everything needed to mount microphones and other creator gear is included in the box.

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The LPA1 reaches 750mm horizontally and adjusts 90° up and 60° down, while 360-degree articulation and an integrated ball mount allow a microphone to be set at almost any angle, above or below desk level. The included clamp allows it to be attached to desks up to 70mm thick.

As with the arm itself, the cabling is meant to stay out of the shot. Integrated cable management routes XLR and USB cables along the arm, keeping them hidden and cutting desk clutter.

The LPA1 is available now in black for US$139 and ships worldwide. A white edition is coming soon, though no release date for that particular version has been announced.

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.

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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.