Special needs children explore space, Earth and interact with latest tech at Museum of the Future

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

A group of children of determination from Dubai’s Senses Residential and Day Care for Special Needs (Senses) embarked on a journey to the world of tomorrow at the Museum of the Future.

They enjoyed a 90-minute guided tour that saw them explore space, learn about planet Earth and interact with innovative technologies.

During their tour of Dubai’s newest architectural marvel, the children were taken to 2071 - the UAE’s centenary year - as they made new discoveries about themselves and the world around them.

Their voyage began at the model space station OSS Hope, where they were able to experience what life in space could possibly look like. They then discovered an array of different species at the HEAL Institute, where digital technologies were also used to reconstruct a live rainforest.

From there, they passed by Al Waha, a spa-like environment that saw them explore sensory-stimulating activities all throughout the experience.

Their visit came to an end at the Tomorrow Today exhibition, where the world’s most prominent near-future inventions and innovations are showcased.

Majed Almansoori, Deputy Executive Director at the Museum of the Future, said: "The Museum of the Future aims at designing a better tomorrow for all, one that brings together different communities and placing them at the centre of future decision-making. This move is essential on this journey of progress that we are taking.”

He added: "Our children are our city’s future heroes, and we were delighted to offer them a glimpse of an inclusive and sustainable future world that they can also help build.

Founded in 2004, Senses is a non-profit charitable organisation based in Dubai, and the first residential care facility in the Middle East dedicated to improving the quality of life of people of determination (special needs), orphans and abandoned children with special needs.

The visit enabled the children of determination to discover futuristic scientific experiments and experience the stages of moving into space and discover the future through the latest artificial intelligence devices available at the museum.

The Museum of the Future is a beacon of knowledge attracting different ideas and perspectives to understand, design and build the future.

Spanning an area of 30,000 square metres, the pillarless structure also represents a novel global intellectual centre.

It is a "living” laboratory designed to foster a spirit of collaborative innovation among the world’s leading scientists to inspire new out-of-the-box solutions to tomorrow’s greatest challenges and spur a new era of scientific discovery in the region and beyond.