Entertainment engineering collective Two Bit Circus have announced plans to build a portfolio of next-generation micro-amusement parks fuelled with the latest AR and VR technologies.

The Los Angeles, California-based Two Bit Circus – founded in 2012 by Brent Bushnell and Eric Gradman – aims to bring the exciting side of engineering and technology to life for a younger generation, inspiring them with lasers, robots, interactivity and gamification, and to "convert non-STEM kids into STEM kids".

Each of the new locations, which will cover approximately 30,000sq ft (2,800sq m), will showcase the latest high-tech entertainment and original content from Two Bit Circus and key brand partners, with its creators envisaging the attractions for malls and retail complexes.

The new venture is an evolution of Two Bit Circus’ STEAM Carnival – a touring pop-up-style event first taking place in October 2014 that gets kids to engage with science, technology, engineering, art and maths in hands-on fun environment.

“Out of home entertainment hasn’t changed much since laser tag and mini-golf,” said Brent Bushnell. “The latest tech has just blown the doors open on a whole new world, changed what it means to play, and play together socially. People stress about tech pushing people apart, but we love watching it bring them together.”

According to Two Bit Circus, the attraction will include the latest in multi-person virtual reality and mixed reality, social play experiences, group games, molecular gastronomy, mixology, and “liberal” use of lasers, fire, and robots.

The first of the location will come to Los Angeles, following a successful funding round which secured US$15m (€14.1m, £12.4m) to fund the new concept.