DOF Robotics is a leading creator of motion simulators, interactive VR games, and high-tech VR and AR amusement attractions.
The firm is dedicated to developing unique experiences that revitalize entertainment spaces and entice customers to visit again and again. It holds several patents for technical and thematic designs, amusement projects, and simulation rides and machines, and its products can be found in more than 80 countries across the globe. This includes flying theatres, dark rides, immersive tunnels, dome theatres, XD and 4D theatres, VR and AR-based attractions, interactive simulations, interactive games, and more.
It’s been a busy year for the Turkish company, as it unveiled more innovations at trade shows throughout the year, including the new design for its popular Hurricane 360 VR attraction, and perfected its unique Mission Space digital theme park concept. It is also preparing to launch an IPO in one of the Stock Exchange markets in 2024.
To find out more about the company’s mission to create unforgettable experiences, and learn about some of its upcoming developments, blooloop spoke to Bakit Baydaliev, CEO and co-founder.
Exploring DOF Robotics’ mission
Talking about the vision that drives the team at DOF Robotics, Baydaliev says that the guest experience is the most important thing to consider:
“That’s why our goal has always been to create unique and new attractions, to keep guests happy, and to help operators bring in new visitors. But to create that unique attraction, to make the experience extraordinary and truly immersive, you must develop quality equipment, quality special effects, and quality content.”
All three elements are equally important, he contends. Without good content, even the most cutting-edge technology will not please guests. And without the right technology and special effects, the content can fall flat. It is the combination of these three factors working in harmony that makes an experience fully immersive.
“When we’re creating our content and our stories, we work with writers to create something that will touch people’s hearts. We want to make something that is unbelievable or unforgettable. Then, when it comes to the equipment, we want to make it thrilling. That’s why we include things like dynamic motion.
“All these things help us to create unique, addictive attractions.”
This approach can be seen in the company’s popular Hurricane 360 VR attraction. Hurricane 360 is a four-seat model, offering thrills through its 6-axis, 360-degree rotation capability. The content is displayed via VR or through dome or flat screens.
Latest projects
Reflecting on the journey so far, and particularly the company’s successful year in 2023, he says:
“We’re always working on our existing attractions to optimise them and to make them even better than yesterday, as well as developing new attractions. We create premium products, as well as midsize and small-size installations.”
“One of our newest projects is a collaboration with the Angry Birds IP, which is an interactive game. The topic of Angry Birds is always destruction, so we created a drive-based, simulation, single-player unit. Because we know that people love competition, we’re also going to introduce a global ranking for that. This means that people from all around the globe can compete and try and get onto the leaderboard.
“We also want to introduce that same kind of competition element for Monster Jam.”
The Monster Jam Grave Digger simulator, a collaboration with Feld Entertainment, has been a key success for the firm over the last two years. It features six independent axes, providing a variety of motions including pitch, roll, and yaw to create a realistic driving experience. Equipped with VR headsets and integrated wind effects, the dynamic simulator allows guests to feel like they are travelling in the legendary Monster Jam Grave Digger monster truck.
This 6 DOF stand-alone attraction is ideal for a variety of indoor entertainment venues. For instance, FECs, theme parks and shopping centres.
DOF Robotics’ portfolio
Other innovations from DOF include Defender: Light of Hope. This is a four-player interactive game that provides an immersive experience using a first-person perspective, as players work together to defend their territory from an alien attack.
The firm also offers Atlantis, a 2DOF XD Cinema platform with four to five seats that is suitable for content with a longer duration. Several Atlantis platforms can be brought together to create a larger XD Cinemas with a capacity of up to 200-500 seats. The experience is enhanced through XD effects like wind, water, fog, and more.
Fans of virtual reality can enjoy the Dark Matter VR room. This is a family-friendly immersive experience where players team up to save themselves in an epic battle between humanity and aliens. It features a lightweight VR headset that allows guests to feel fully immersed in the action.
When it comes to flying theatres, operators can choose from DOF’s Flying Theater MLP or Flying Theatre LS. The former is suitable for bigger projects as it can seat up to 90. The MLP platforms push the guests’ seats toward a huge domed screen, where both the storyline and the high-quality motion simulation will help transport them to new worlds.
The Flying Theater LS uses 2 DOF suspended seat modules and can also incorporate a 6DOF experience. As with the MLP model, it also includes special effects like water, rain, smell, and many more to make the experience more believable.
A new concept
The company has also seen more interest in its Mission Space digital theme park. The first installation, named Mission Moon, was delivered to Camlica Tower in Istanbul, Turkey, where it has already proved popular.
“It’s a new approach,” says Baydaliev. “Inside this digital park, you have a story and you let people believe they are in this story. It’s a living experience. While the first one was themed as Mission Moon, operators could also opt for Mission Mars, Mission Jupiter, Jurassic Park, Time Travel, or anything else, any topic that they want to present to their guests. So, it’s very flexible.”
“It’s a movie set-like environment. It’s not VR. For Mission Moon in Istanbul, we send people to space on a rocket simulator; it’s very realistic. When you arrive, you enter the space station to complete a mission. We created this immersive environment with huge dome screens and projections.”
Throughout the 30–40-minute experience, guests travel to various locations and complete different tasks and interactive challenges, before returning safely to Earth, where they receive a photographic ID card proving they are officially a ‘Real Astronaut’.
“We’re letting people live their dreams,” he adds. “People want to be part of the story; they want to affect the outcome.”
R&D at DOF Robotics
The development of this turnkey attraction in response to the trend for more immersive and interactive experiences is typical of DOF’s approach to R&D.
“We’re creating attractions for location-based entertainment venues, so it’s important that we look at the trends and react to what guests are going to want in the future.”
However, the firm is also evolving its R&D strategy, he adds:
“Right now, we have a good R&D department which works on B2B concepts. All our customers are B2B; we sell our equipment to investors, park resorts, FEC owners, etc. However, we’ll have a couple of new products coming up, and I think we’ll finish the analysis next year, which is equipment for homes.
“We are going to engage people with our immersive simulation products within their homes and offices. So, you will be able to connect to your friends and make a journey together in VR or through a screen system. You can join them in these special environments and even interact through special equipment so you’re walking, running, or cycling. You’ll be able to engage with this world, and at the same time, you’re getting your workout.”
With the emerging trend for more active entertainment, it’s certainly a good time to be looking at this area of the market.
The trend for IP-based attractions
Another key industry trend that DOF Robotics has been involved in is the rise of more IP-based and branded experiences. Talking about why he thinks these types of attractions, like the Monster Jam Grave Digger simulator, for example, are popular, Baydaliev says:
“People always want to be with their heroes, to have the opportunity to spend time with them or play with them, and to feel like they are being invited into the worlds they know and love from TV or film.”
The fusion of IP and attraction is a win-win, he adds, bringing benefits to both the IP owner and the attraction operator:
“When you create attractions that are themed around favourite IPs, it’s always easy to sell. Visitors are always keen to engage with these worlds. When you use IPs, and you do it well, you’re making a contribution to everybody. The end users, the visitors, are happy to be closer to the worlds they love. The operators are happy because these big names bring more people through the doors. And the IP owner gets to reach out to its audience and connect with them in new ways and keep that story going between big film or TV releases.”
Within this, Baydaliev emphasizes his earlier point about the importance of technology and story working in harmony:
“You must engage people. That means the content must be spot on, and the special effects must be spot on. Any tiny detail can pull you out of that immersive environment and spoil the illusion.”
What’s next for DOF Robotics?
The company working on making an IPO in one of the Stock Exchange markets. Discussing this next step and what it means for DOF Robotics going forward, Baydaliev says:
“This development comes at a critical time for DOF. Each year, we are doubling our turnover and increasing our business in many fields and many markets. So, we think this is the right time to make an IPO, grow, and make the necessary investments for our company to jump into the next level of creation.
“It’s also important for the company to realize our dreams, which are very big. Our goal is not just to be equipment manufacturers but also to realise ourselves as content developers and operators.
“It’s exciting. We are making our preparations now, and we are planning to make our IPO in 2024. We have DOF USA, and we also want to establish local teams in Asia, MENA, and LATAM as well. It’s important to have that local expertise and to have teams on the ground.”
Looking ahead, he adds:
“Our main goal right now as we jump to the next level is to create new trends. We’ve shown with our digital park concept that we can create unique new concepts and new ideas based on what we know guests want and expect from attractions. And we can offer something different to operators that will keep their visitors excited and keep them coming back repeatedly.
“We’re also creating flexible products. For instance, with the digital park, today it could be Mission Moon, and then tomorrow it could be Jurassic Park; you can change the content with just one click.”
DOF Robotics will be attending IAAPA Expo 2023 in Orlando, Florida. Held at the Orange County Convention Center, the conference runs from 13 – 16 November, and the trade show floor will be open from 14 – 17 November. The DOF Robotics team will be at booth #1362, where attendees will be able to discover its latest innovations and discuss their project needs.
