Awe-inspiring innovations at Expo 2020 Dubai

The Germany Pavilion is showcasing a cutting-edge elevator that can travel both horizontally and vertically. It was created by the technology firm Thyssenkrupp Elevator and, instead of ropes, it works using magnets, making it appear as though the elevator cabins are floating. They travel faster and use less energy than conventional lifts, and could transform the way people get around in high-rise buildings in the future. Another elevator, at the Mobility Pavilion, is the largest of its kind in the world, capable of carrying more than 160 people at a time.

You'll find more than 150 robots welcoming and interacting with visitors across Expo 2020 Dubai. Built by a Chinese company using disruptive technology and artificial intelligence, they help with social distancing and safe queuing. Equipped with 5G technology and innovative touchscreens, the robot guides are programmed to travel around the site and also assist people by delivering food, offering directions, and even taking photographs. One of the most famous robots is Opti, a mascot of the world fair and the cutest 'guardian' of the Opportunity Pavilion.

A key focus of Expo 2020 Dubai is sustainability, and a number of pavilions are showcasing green innovations and agricultural technology. At the Singapore pavilion, visitors can discover an indoor rainforest that's home to 80,000 plants, with vertical gardens helping to keep temperatures down. The Netherlands have also constructed a self-sustaining pavilion, with a farm that harvests water and energy from the air to help grow crops including mint, asparagus, tomatoes and mushrooms.

The entry portals to Expo 2020 Dubai mark the entrances of the site's three main Thematic Districts – Sustainability, Mobility, and Opportunity. The 21m-high structures were designed by celebrated architect Asif Khan, and were inspired by Arabic mashrabiya elements. While the lattices may look delicate, they're made of thousands of ultra-thin carbon fibre ribbons – light enough for one person to push the doors open, but also strong enough to support the weight of a 4WD car.

Expo 2020's most popular water feature can be found in the heart of the world fair, between Jubilee Park and Al Wasl Plaza. Here, you can watch water cascading down 13m-high walls, before defying gravity and flowing uphill instead. After sunset, the display is accompanied by bursts of bright colours and orchestral music, with an original score written by the award-winning composer Ramin Djawadi. The water feature is the size of half a football field, and was created by California-based WET Design, who also designed The Dubai Fountain. It's also eco-friendly – no water is wasted as it flows up and down, other than what evaporates.

At the United Kingdom pavilion, which was inspired by the work of the award-winning physicist Stephen Hawking, visitors can get involved and help compose historic poetry. Throughout Expo 2020 Dubai, the venue will be showcasing an ever-changing poem, and anyone can add to it with a word that they think best describes life on Earth. Advanced AI technology is used to create the poem, which is then displayed on LED screens along the facade of the pavilion, all day and all night long. 

The Laboratory of Future Values at the Sustainability Pavilion is an informative exhibit, aiming to educate visitors on sustainable living ideas and the latest technology such as hydroponic gardens, which we may all be using in the near future. Discover impressive projects that are being used around the world to preserve environments for new generations, and learn what all of us can do to help the planet. It's one the whole family will enjoy.

Despite being in the desert, one thing visitors will certainly notice is how green Expo 2020 Dubai is. Just a few kilometres away is a dedicated 220,000sqm nursery, home to millions of seedlings and trees that get planted across the site. To save water and help the plants survive in the desert environment, most are native and adaptive species. Also, green waste and water from the Expo site is used to create organic compost, while almost 95% of the nursery is irrigated using recycled water.