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Mission Space: visiting new worlds with DOF Robotics

As the firm announces a rebrand, we take a look at some of its most innovative products, including a new digital theme park concept

DOF Robotics is a producer of dynamic simulation platforms. A pioneer in the VR and AR entertainment industries, it is a trusted partner for its clients through a range of technologies.

The DOF Robotics platforms use electromechanical 6 Axis 6DOF Spider Robots, 4DOF, 3DOF and 2DOF technologies. They feature instant acceleration, perfect synchronisation, and durability, offering maximum speed and adrenaline, with no motion sickness. Concepts are characterised by a creative and imaginative vision, facilitating emotion-driven storytelling.

Building on a formidable portfolio of cutting-edge products, the company has now developed Mission Space. Now, this digital park concept is being showcased for the first time. By stretching the realms of imagination, the 30–40-minute experience will enable guests to discover and “step inside” space. The product is a finalist in IAAPA’s Brass Ring Awards 2022, in the category of Best Major Ride/Attraction, Product cost of US$2 to US$5 million.

Emrah Ilkan DOF Robotics
Emrah Ilkan

Emrah Ilkan joined the DOF Robotics team as marketing manager in 2021. He spoke to blooloop about DOF’s latest offerings, its expansion strategy, and the compelling, adaptable Mission Space digital theme park.

Award-winning innovations from DOF

A graduate of Istanbul University in Industrial Engineering, he comes to DOF most recently from Amazon where he served as a brand specialist, and, previously, from Procter and Gamble.

Responsible for conceiving and executing marketing strategies that drive growth, he leverages his integrated marketing experience and skill set around modern, scalable marketing methods to help overall brand development and messaging in the marketplace, as the company works towards expanding its marketing efforts and providing a stronger global presence.

DOF-at-MAPIC-2019

The firm’s approach is to work side by side with clients and partners to deliver the products that suit their client’s needs. It leverages its understanding of the industry to meet individual requirements and resources. Always open to new and innovative project ideas, the firm offers custom solutions to bring those ideas to life.

DOF is known for its numerous patented simulation rides, machines, amusement projects, and thematic and technical designs. The attractions are, Ilkan contends, cost-effective, combining smooth movements and stable synchronisation with optimal performance. The DOF team’s meticulous development of unique and extraordinary products that breathe life and emotion into entertainment venues keeps guests returning again and again.

The company has been the recipient of several international awards. This includes an IAAPA Brass Ring Award for the Best New Product for its Hurricane 360 VR.

More than 400 installations and counting

“DOF began in 2006,” Ilkan tells blooloop. “Since that point, it has been producing high-tech immersive VR and AR attractions, motion simulators and interactive VR games, effectively revolutionizing the attractions industry.”

A disruptive and dynamic company, DOF provides a one-stop-shop service from project design to maintenance and training.

“Over the past decade, we have installed products in over 400 locations worldwide, in more than 80 countries,” he adds. “Over the last few years, we have jumped into multiplatform by combining a number of rides.”

DOF Robotics
Hurricane 360

Installations include flying theatres, dark rides, immersive tunnels, panorama, XD, 4D and dome theatres, and VR and AR-based attractions. It also offers interactive simulations and games, and customised simulation rides.

“We have shown some of our products, such as VR simulators and VR coasters at IAAPA Expo. The most famous is our Hurricane,” he says.

Hurricane 360, DOF’s new ride, is a 4-seat model, 6-Axis Motion Ride with a 360-degree rotation capability, which makes it a 7DOF. The ride, which uses specially designed shoulder harness coaster seats, is compatible with VR, dome and flatscreen. An impressive addition to the DOF stable, the Hurricane features regenerative servomotors, a motion control unit, six sensors for each axis, and special effects including water, rain, air blast, fog, and snow devices. With a 2.1 sound system quality, and VR or 3D Ride movies, the Hurricane showcases the DOF fusion of excellence and versatility.

Allowing guests to explore new worlds

In August, DOF brought out Nautilus. This is a fun new submarine simulator with 6 degrees of freedom that takes riders on an immersive and realistic underwater experience, allowing them to discover the depths from the point of view of a submarine crew. The new product, which has 12 seats, has a throughput of 72 people per hour. As well as 6 DOF, it features a 270-degree screen and water effects, to make guests feel they are truly in an underwater world.

DOF Robotics Cityfly Stats

Another new product for attractions and venues – again, launched in August – explores the world’s diversity. CITYFLY VR uses a unique 2DOF XD Theatre platform to transport guests to a number of cities around the world while remaining under one roof. The basic platform model features eight seats. However, operators can also fuse multiple platforms to create ‘Big XD Theatres’ with a capacity of up to 200 seats, suitable for amusement and theme parks.

The CITYFLY attractions use a VR visual system but can also feature state-of-the-art flat screens with 3D effects, and with curved screens. Various 4D special effects can be integrated to create a fully immersive experience, simulating wind, rain, fog, and other atmospherics.

Monster Jam Grave Digger

DOF has also recently revealed a brand-new dynamic monster truck VR simulator, based on the popular Monster Jam Grave Digger monster truck, in collaboration with Feld Entertainments.

A highly dynamic 6-seat motion simulator that offers a different range of movements including pitch, roll, and yaw, the ride simulator adventure, equipped with high-quality VR headsets and strong wind effects, enables guests to experience what riding a massive Monster Jam truck feels like. The 6 DOF stand-alone attraction is perfect for all kinds of indoor entertainment venues. For instance, FECs, theme parks, shopping centres and more.

Grave Digger Monster Jam simulator

This certainly proved a hit at the recent IAAPA Expo in London. During the show, attendees could try it for themselves at the company’s booth.

Unique products

Further products include Defender: Light of Hope, a four-player interactive game that provides an immersive, first-person perspective as players work as a team to defend their territory from aliens. Guns, motion technology, and other special effects also enhance the game.

Then there is Riot: an adaptable best-seller that can be produced with up to 250 seats and platforms to fit the venue’s space, featuring a 2019 Model 6-Axis Hexapod robot, customized seats with airplane belts, a platform containing Siemens Regenerative Servomotors, a Siemens Simotion Control Unit, special effects including water, rain, air blast, fog, snow, and ‘leg-tickle’, 2.1 sound system quality, and 10 VR or 10 3D Ride movies.

DOF Robotics
DOF Defender

Meanwhile, Atlantis is a special 2DOF XD Cinema platform with a capacity of 4 to 5 seats. This is suitable for content with a longer duration. Although 4 seat-platforms are designed for smaller spaces, several ATLANTIS platforms can be brought together to create Big XD Cinemas with a capacity of up to 200-500 seats. ATLANTIS attractions feature big screens and 3D Passive Systems. There are also several kinds of XD Effects, such as water, wind, flash, fog, and more.

DOF’s VR room, Dark Matter, is an immersive experience. Multiple players need to cooperate to save themselves, as aliens ambush them in a spaceship. In the battle between humanity and aliens, each player needs to team up with his fellows to defend their territory. The family-friendly VR game offers a challenging and cooperative environment. Shooting guns and lightweight VR headsets enhance the experience, ensuring complete immersion within the game.

Experiencing the impossible with DOF Robotics

Finally, the company also offers a variety of flying theatre products.

The Flying Theatre MLP is DOF’s bestselling large-scale flying theatre, recommended for bigger projects with a seating capacity of up to 90, and an MLP ride system. Features include high-quality motion simulation and projection systems, as well as incorporated virtual reality.

DOF Robotics flying theatre

There is also the Flying Theatre LS, developed using 2 DOF suspended seat modules with the capacity to use 6DOF for a 360-degree experience. The LS flying theatre takes the VR theatre experience to the next level. When the guests are safely seated, the platforms lift the guests’ seats toward the large format dome screen. This takes them straight into the action.

The ride system allows them to experience the impossible, thanks to the suspended platforms and film content. 4D effects – water, rain, scent and more enhance the experience. The lifting system concept makes this a small-scale platform suitable for infinite locations, as it doesn’t require too much space.

Presenting Mission Space

That takes us up to the latest innovation, the Mission Space Digital Theme Park concept. This is a culmination of the expertise and experience that DOF has gained in the development of its previous products. It features engineering excellence, versatility, robustness in terms of storytelling, and a multiplatform format that affords an immersive dive into the narrative.

The concept is an adaptable off-planet adventure that can become, with a tweak to the theming in terms of customisation: Mission Mars, Mission Moon, or anything else the operator desires. A ground-breaking concept that offers a 30 – 40-minute space experience to visitors, the focus is on immersive storytelling. Visitors, in groups, start in the welcome area. Here, they don spacesuits and helmets, and travel – via simulated rocket flight – to another planet.

The content and theming allow participants to suspend disbelief as they move through the eight different stages of the experience, including the simulators which give the illusion of space travel in the context of the narrative.

The Digital Theme Park fuses an interactive experience with edutainment and includes information and interactive games.

Mission Space visitors begin by entering the Welcome Area, where they put on their authentically styled costumes. Before the journey begins, a preshow area reviews key milestones in space history including important flights and discoveries.

The Mission Space experience

Ilkan details the visitor experience:

“It’s a really cool theme park ride that consists of eight different platforms, and four simulator experiences,” he explains. “The concept is that you are being launched into space as part of a mission. You complete the tasks and you then return to Earth. Stage, simulator or team numbers can be scalable as per project need. The team begins in the welcome and preparation area, where they put on spacesuits over their clothes. Then they move on to the preshow area.”

DOF Robotics Mission Moon

The preshow area is themed according to the scenario chosen by the operator. Here, the participants are given information about their mission. This is delivered via specially designed screens and holograms.

Next, they board a rocket simulator and experience a rocket launch into space. Theming and animations complement an impressively implemented G-force simulation to maximise realism. This means the team feels it truly has experienced a launch.

Once the rocket is, according to the narrative, docked at the International Space Station, the participants leave it, and journey to the Moon (or Mars, or whichever destination has been decided on) on the ‘Interplanetary Voyager’ spaceship simulator. Again, the special effects and simulation leave them feeling as if they have experienced interplanetary travel for real.

A culmination of DOF Robotic’s expertise

The first of the interactive games comes next. ‘Shooter’ allows guests to compete as they blast stray asteroids to smithereens to avoid a collision.

Arriving at the space research base on the Moon (or planet), participants receive information about the work that they need to do from the operators, in the role of researchers. They then embark on a journey of discovery on the Moon/Planet with the Planet Explorer simulator (a huge moon/planet vehicle). The astronauts venture outside, before returning to the planet’s research lab base to study and analyse their findings. Part of this exploration involves a second interactive, competitive game, Miner.

Mission Space
Mission Space

Having completed the mission, the team makes a fun and speedy return journey to Earth in the spaceship. At the end of the experience, they receive an ID card saying “Real Astronaut” with their photo, as a souvenir. Working alongside the client to ensure a product that works perfectly with their vision is a cornerstone of the DOF philosophy, hence the product’s adaptability.

As DOF prepares to move into new markets, Mission Space is the culmination of a process by which the company has been combining rides to form multiplatform attractions over the past decade. The experience immerses participants of all ages, from 4 years old to adult, in a compelling adventure where they can suspend their disbelief and become engaged as protagonists in the narrative.

Meet DOF Robotics at IAAPA Expo 2022

As the company moves into the future, has announced a new logo and a rebrand. It is presenting a creative and inspirational facet to the public, with its vision and ethos reflected in its new slogan: ‘Engineering Emotions’.

DOF Robotics Team IAAPA Expo 2021
The DOF Robotics team at IAAPA Expo 2021

“We’d like to show that we’re an inspirational brand, as well as an engineering company,” says Ilkan.

DOF Robotics is a platinum sponsor of IAAPA Expo 2022 in Florida this November, where it will be showcasing this rebrand. The event takes place from 14 – 18 November at the Orange County Convention Centre in Orlando. Attendees can meet the team at booth #2686.

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Lalla Merlin

Lalla Merlin

Lead features writer Lalla studied English at St. Hugh’s College, Oxford University, and Law with the Open University. A writer, film-maker, and aspiring lawyer, she lives in rural Devon with an assortment of badly behaved animals, including a friendly wolf

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