What is Expo 2020

Expo Dubai Xplorer is a rich digital experience for the World Expo that allows anyone, anywhere to experience the magic of the event with friends, whether on site or at home.

Key fesatures

Real-time connectivity between on-site and remote users across the physical and digital divide

An incredibly accurate digital twin of the 4km² Expo site—1:1 scale from the architect’s CAD files and confirmed with “as-builts”.

One of the largest deployments in the world of persistent Cloud Anchors enabling incredibly accurate augmented reality activations.

Digital World Viewer smart screens across the physical Expo site act as portals for visitors between both worlds.

Collect rewards leading to Seeds of Change that can be donated to real-world causes.

Experience interactive 360º video tours of 192 international pavilions designed by the world’s leading architects.

Encounter magical creatures and embark on journeys with characters themed around space exploration, art and design, social innovation, and more.

Expo Dubai Xplorer sets a new standard for accessibility and inclusivity to large events and expands Expo 2020 Dubai’s vision of ‘Connecting Minds and Creating the Future’ into the Metaverse.

Uniting The Physical & Digital

Users can customize their own AI powered avatar and connect with others in real-time across the physical and digital divide. Standing on the Expo site, a visitor may see a friend from the other side of the world (viewed through the lens of their phone) as an avatar they can share experiences with, and communicate via group creation and messaging.

On-site hardware will also link the physical and digital worlds. Smart screens called “Digital World Viewers” show views of digital content overlaid on the landscape for physical visitors. The desktop application is designed to mimic the capabilities of the mobile applications by connecting to the same cloud services for local content and avatar display.

Augmented Reality With Centimeter Accuracy

By creating a unique positioning tech stack that incorporates Cloud Anchors for hundreds of geospatially-positioned activations around the Expo 2020 Dubai site, millions of visitors will experience entertaining and educational content…where it belongs.

From mysterious portals to far-off places and treasure hunts through history to encounters with magical creatures—all aligned to real world coordinates with centimeter accuracy. This is the first time the ARCore Cloud Anchors API by Google has been used at such a scale.

Remote visitors can access the same AR content and experiences, over a connected digital twin of the site, via an interface similar to popular mobile games like Fortnite or Roblox.

“Our journey with Expo 2020 Dubai began in 2018 designing the visitor experience for the Mobility Pavilion. We quickly discovered that the messages of this Expo needed to be accessible to everyone, anywhere.

“Working with the leadership at Expo and hundreds of our team around the world , we designed, developed, and delivered a new way to experience it that could serve as a model for the world of tomorrow.”