Inside Dubai’s latest attraction: Orbi indoor nature museum

Dubai is not short of attractions, but a new indoor nature museum called Orbi is hoping to take things up a notch. Officially launched on May 9 at the City Centre Mirdif, the edutainment concept is the result of a partnership between game-maker Sega and BBC Worldwide, and features cutting-edge footage produced by the BBC’s natural history unit. Orbi Dubai is the first of its kind outside of Japan.

“I’ve seen some of the most incredible parts of the earth, and some of the sights you will see here at Orbi Dubai. Believe me, they are incredible,” said explorer Nabil Al Busaidi, speaking at the launch. The adventurer has been appointed as the nature ambassador for Orbi Dubai.

Fusing Sega’s technology with the BBC’s content, the Orbi experience gives visitors an immersive experience. They allow you to experience in close proximity, the life of an elephant by transporting you to Central Africa, or the family of mountain gorillas in a BBC Earth location shoot, or view the depths of the ocean up close. Animalpedia, for instance, is an interactive gesture-control learning experience, while Earth Palette gives a 360-degree screening of the nature films, giving an impression that you are truly in the middle of nature. There are a total of 12 attractions, each lasting between 4 to 22 minutes long.

“The real gem in Orbi Dubai’s crown is the incredible theatre space, Theatre 23.4. This is one of the world’s biggest screens — it is 35 metres across, and 8 metres high, and will give you an incredible visual experience,” said Al Busaidi.

The first Orbi, launched in Yokohama, Japan, in 2013, crossed more than half a million guests in its first year, said Damien Latham, CEO at Majid Al Futtaim. The idea for Orbi Dubai began in 2013, when his team visited Orbi Yokohama, he said. This eventually led to a screening staged at the British Embassy in Dubai in October 2016, which was very well-received.

“Although [Orbi] is digitally bringing nature to life, it’s not [the same as] looking into a screen. It’s much more than a phone or TV. There is a tactile and sensory notion to Orbi, bringing you a step closer to nature,” said Latham.

Here are five of the attractions at Orbi Dubai:

• Animalpedia: A giant interactive screen featuring life-size visuals of animal shapes. Visitors can virtually reach out to an animal on screen and it responds with pop-up facts.

• Earth Palette: A 360-degree visual experience featuring countless images of animals, landscapes and plants.

• Base Camp: Projection mapping to exhibit images captured by BBC Earth on to walls and a standalone sculpture. The sculpture changes character to represent different animals, which interact when touched.

• Time Slice: Immersive attraction where visitors can gauge their abilities in relation to some of the speediest animals on our planet.

• Extreme Photo Spot: A green screen experience encouraging visitors to step into the wild and pose alongside their favourite animals.

Don’t miss it!

A single ticket costs Dh140, while a family ticket costs Dh449. Children below the age of three enter free. Age restrictions on some attractions apply.

— Saanya Lulla is an intern at Gulf News.