Engineering the Nano Robot for Mansour Festival
The 2024 Mansour Festival at Zayed Sports Complex required a large-scale scenic interpretation of the Nano Robot character. Evolution Scenic was responsible for designing, fabricating and installing the freestanding structure in Abu Dhabi. The completed robot measured approximately 8 metres wide, 6.3 metres deep and 3 metres high. Its wide overall dimensions were created by four projecting wing structures arranged around a more compact central body. The complete structure had an approximate weight of 100–150 kilograms.
Although visually read as one object, the Nano Robot was not manufactured as one continuous component. Its construction was divided between a single central assembly and four separately fabricated wings. This division allowed the workshop team to preserve the scale of the final design while making the widest elements easier to transport and install.
The central structure incorporated the main robot body and all four support legs. This section was fabricated as one piece, measuring approximately 3 metres in diameter and 3 metres high. Keeping the central body and legs together maintained their dimensional relationship throughout production and installation. The four wing structures extended from this central form to create the complete 8-metre width.
Their projecting geometry gave the robot its distinctive silhouette, but also introduced practical constraints. Permanently fixing all four wings during workshop production would have created a component that was unnecessarily wide and difficult to transport. Evolution Scenic therefore treated the robot as a modular scenic system. The central section provided the principal freestanding structure, while the wings were developed as detachable assemblies.
Constructing the Central Steel Assembly
Mild-steel square tube formed the structural framework within the robot’s central body and legs. The steel structure established the main geometry, supported the shaped exterior and transferred the completed assembly onto four individual leg positions. Each leg incorporated a metal base plate at floor level. These plates provided defined contact points beneath the structure and supported the freestanding installation.
Steel flat bars were incorporated at the top of the leg structures. These created attachment points for the main fiberglass body and helped connect the visible sculptural form to the internal framework below. The combination of square-tube framing, upper flat-bar connections and lower base plates created a continuous supporting arrangement from the main body to the venue surface.
The visible bodywork was produced using shaped styrofoam with polyurea and fiberglass finishes. Styrofoam allowed the workshop team to develop the curved volume of the character around the internal metal structure. The material could be shaped into rounded transitions that would have been more difficult to achieve using flat sheet materials alone.
Polyurea and fiberglass finishes were applied to protect and strengthen the shaped scenic surfaces. The bodywork concealed the internal square-tube construction while retaining the smooth, simplified geometry required by the character design. The four legs followed the same overall fabrication language. Their visible surfaces enclosed the structural metalwork, while the circular metal base plates remained positioned beneath them.
Fabricating Four Modular Wing Assemblies & Acrylic Mirror Features
The Nano Robot incorporated four wing structures, each fabricated as an individual component. This was a deliberate transport and installation decision. Separating the wings reduced the dimensions of the principal body assembly and protected the projecting elements during handling. Each wing was constructed around a metal supporting arm. Shaped styrofoam and fiberglass scenic elements were fixed to the arm to create the circular outer profiles and internal blade-like forms visible in the completed installation.
The metal arm performed both a structural and logistical role. It supported the shaped wing components while also creating the connection through which each wing could be attached to the central body. The wings were completed using paint and applied vinyl graphics. Their black and yellow surfaces continued the visual language of the central robot body and defined the perimeter of the structure.
Acrylic elements formed the dark mirror-like panels within the robot body. These components were manufactured from 6mm acrylic sheet and completed with a vinyl-applied finish. The existing project record identifies sourcing and shaping the transparent acrylic components as one of the production challenges.
The acrylic needed to fit accurately within the surrounding shaped styrofoam while maintaining the intended visual relationship with the curved body surface. Metal strips were used to retain the acrylic panels within the styrofoam construction. This provided a physical fixing method rather than relying only on the applied finish or adhesive bond. The resulting detail combined three distinct materials: the structural metalwork behind the body, the shaped scenic surround and the finished acrylic feature panel.
Coordinating Scenic Finishes, Transportation & Installation
Paint and vinyl graphics were used across the central body and wing structures. The painted finish established the strong yellow and black colour treatment visible across the robot, while vinyl provided the branded lettering and additional surface graphics. The acrylic features also used applied vinyl to create their mirror-like visual finish. Coordinating these treatments required the visible surfaces to align across several material types, including fiberglass, acrylic and the wing components.
The finish therefore depended on more than colour matching. Graphic positions, panel boundaries, curved surfaces and component junctions all needed to work together once the four wings were installed around the central body.
The structure’s modular breakdown was established around transportation requirements. The central body and four legs were retained as one assembly. This reduced the number of major structural connections required at the venue and kept the main supporting geometry intact.
The four wings travelled as separate components.
Their metal supporting arms allowed the shaped scenic assemblies to remain complete while being handled independently from the robot body. This approach moved a substantial amount of detailed finishing into the workshop. The styrofoam shaping, fiberglass work, paint and vinyl graphics could be completed before the parts reached the venue. On site, the installation team could concentrate on positioning the central body, connecting the completed wing components and checking the relationship between all four assemblies.
A rubber mat platform was installed beneath the completed robot. This formed a protective layer between the scenic structure and the existing venue surface. The four metal base plates rested within the defined installation footprint created by the mat. The mat also visually separated the robot from the surrounding ground without introducing a raised scenic deck. Because the central body and legs formed one assembly, their position needed to be established before the four projecting wings were installed. The modular wings could then be attached around the body without requiring the full 8-metre-wide structure to be transported as one piece.
Delivering Within a One-Month Production Programme
Evolution Scenic completed the production within one month. The programme included structural metal fabrication, styrofoam shaping, polyurea and fiberglass finishing, acrylic preparation, paintwork, vinyl graphics and the manufacture of four separate wing assemblies. This work was delivered while the project was also affected by extended approval periods, resource constraints and other concurrent workshop commitments.
The completed components were transported to Zayed Sports Complex and assembled as an 8-metre-wide freestanding scenic structure. The finished Nano Robot demonstrates how a visually complex character can be resolved through a clear fabrication hierarchy: a rigid central steel structure, lightweight sculptural bodywork, separately manufactured projecting components and detailed acrylic and graphic finishes. Evolution Scenic’s delivery brought metalwork, three-dimensional scenic production, fiberglass construction, paintwork, graphics and installation together within one coordinated character build.
