The Universal Mobility team of specialists has many years of experience beyond the automotive industry, which allows our company to work on a variety of engineering projects. One of those projects was manufacturing of the exposition model for Expo 2020 Dubai. The model represents the concept of a linear city with functioning vehicle models moving between two multi-story buildings. The participation in the project named "Oasis" was offered by our customer — String Technologies LLC.
The project started in December 2019. Our team worked hand-in-hand with a number of several companies. The SV Plant model site team designed and manufactured the track structures, moving models, electrical components and lighting. They were also involved in assembling and testing of the model. Representatives from United Vehicle Robotics worked on the architecture of the control system, along with hardware components and software application. Specialists from the String Technologies architectural bureau were also involved in the project. The result of collaborative efforts was the creation of an exhibition and demonstration model with architectural objects and moving models at a 1:35 scale.
The idea of general visual appearance of the model belongs to our company's designer Pavel Amelishko, and the engineering design of the project has been accomplished by Maxim Kostechko. Our specialists faced the task of embodying the concept of a linear city in a physical object within the limited scale of the exhibition model. The overall style of the model was also significantly influenced by the location of the exhibition. Since the UAE region has many deserts, it was decided to integrate the linear city concept into the dunes, thereby creating an original appearance.
"Oasis" is a complex and elaborate construction. The core of the model is a sectional aluminum frame, supporting the blocks of non-combustible plywood. This material was custom ordered because it met the special requirements for fire resistance, durability and environmental friendliness of the structures at the Dubai World's Fair. Each sheet of plywood was cut according to an individual sketch, and several hundred sheets were combined to form the distinctive silhouette of sand dunes. Thus, the parametric design paradigm perfectly met the objectives of the project team.
Maxim Kostechko,
design engineer
design engineer
There are two models of illuminated multi-store buildings on both sides of the construction. Several levels of track structures made of metal located between buildings. This is a functioning model — the tracks have moving models of transport operated by a complex system based on programmable controllers. The vehicle models have undergone fault tolerance tests for several months, covering a total of more than a hundred kilometers over that time. Various elements of the model can be controlled via a custom mobile app.
Pavel Amelishko,
designer
designer
"Oasis" allows viewers to have an immersive experience in a large-scale architectural and transportation project. Its additional functionality and interactivity is provided by the base of the model with integrated seats for a short rest. 3D-printed models of people, as well as decorative miniature trees and bushes enhance the immersive effect. They are made of natural materials — stabilized moss and juniper. The plants have undergone special treatment process, preserving their unique natural structure and appearance. In total, more than 700 trees and bushes were hand-crafted for the layout and arranged in clusters. Thanks to this solution, they are easy to place and interchange on the model.
Mobile model lighting control app
The dimensions of the model are: 12 meters in length, 2.5 meters in width and 3 meters in height, and the total weight reaches 3 tons. However, the specialists of our company have designed the exhibition object in such a way that it can be easily transported even regardless of its size. The entire structure is modular, which allows a team of four people to assemble and disassemble the model. The individual modules of the structure are tailored to their size so that they can fit shipping container compartments.
Design development, derivation of the concept, the design of the basic units of "Oasis" took about 6 months, another half a year it took to implement the project. For objective reasons, EXPO-2020 was postponed for a year, which gave the project team additional time to finalize and test the exhibition model. At the moment the stand has been shipped to Dubai and is installed at the customer's premises.
12 m
length
2.5 m
width
3 m
height
3 tons
weight
Customer of the project:
Unitsky String Technologies, Inc.
The company's role in the project:
Development of the design project
Development of the power structure of the stand
Development of a control system based on programmable controllers with the full- fledged program for controlling the stand via a mobile application
Design supervision of manufacturing