RealDesignTech at 2025 K-Expo UAE: Ultiracer Brings AI Indoor Cycling to Dubai
By Shaun Cheon
This past November, RealDesignTech brought Ultiracer to one of the most dynamic stages in the Gulf: the 2025 K-Expo UAE in Dubai. Our AI-powered indoor cycling platform drew a steady stream of curious riders at the show's experience zone - a moment captured by Korea's leading business daily in its on-the-ground report from the floor (Maeil Business Newspaper).
What Was the 2025 K-Expo UAE?
Held from November 15 to 18, 2025 across Dubai's Global Village and the Dubai World Trade Centre, K-Expo is the largest showcase of Korean culture and industry in the Middle East, hosted by Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism together with the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) (Khaleej Times). This year's edition reached well beyond K-pop and K-drama, organized around a single theme: convergence - how AI is reshaping Korean content and consumer technology. It was the third stop on the 2025 K-Expo world tour, following editions in Canada and Spain.
The energy lived up to the billing. Local fans packed the experience zone to dance along to K-pop, scored in real time by motion-tracking apps; others lined up to have their posture and "body age" read by AI sensing booths; a celebrity-led K-food cooking show sold out within the hour; and an evening K-pop concert drew some 18,000 people. Behind the scenes, four days of export consultations generated roughly 70.5 billion won (about US$40 million) in business discussions. For a Korean startup, it was a rare chance to meet Middle Eastern partners and audiences face to face.
Ultiracer Finds a "Blue Ocean" in the Gulf
At RealDesignTech's booth, visitors queued to try Ultiracer - our solution that brings together a real indoor bike, an interactive screen, and AI. Riders burn calories as they pedal, follow their position on the monitor, and race networked teammates in real time, turning a solo workout into a connected, game-like experience.
The reception underscored something we have long believed: in a region where summer temperatures can climb past 50°C, comfortable indoor exercise isn't a luxury - it's a year-round necessity. As RealDesignTech CEO Lee Jung-sik shared at the booth, the Middle East's hot climate makes indoor cycling especially appealing, turning markets such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia into a genuine "blue ocean" for indoor fitness.
The Road Ahead
Being part of K-Expo - and featured in the Maeil Business Newspaper's coverage - reaffirms our conviction at RealDesignTech that smart, accessible indoor fitness has a truly global future, and that the Gulf is one of its most exciting frontiers. The six GCC countries together represent a market of roughly 200 million people whose combined purchasing power outpaces Korea's several times over, and interest in staying active indoors, all year long, keeps growing.
We left Dubai energized by the conversations we had and the enthusiasm we saw. We see Ultiracer as a natural fit for senior centers, schools, fitness studios, and homes across the region, and we are committed to building the local partnerships that will bring it to riders here. As Korean content and technology continue to converge on the world stage, RealDesignTech is proud to ride alongside that momentum - and excited for what comes next.