Happy New Year 2018 / Feliz Año Nuevo 2018

We wish you all
                                 a HAPPY NEW YEAR

"Big Ben" London

Pyramid Localization System (PLS) - ultrasound-based indoor localization system

With PLS you can provide your guests with exceptional benefits: Quick, easy ordering and payment using a smartphone or at an order kiosk. Their order can then find them at the table of their choice. Welcome to the restaurant of the future... your guests will be amazed! With an accuracy of 15 cm, it is ten times more accurate than systems based on WLAN, Bluetooth or RFID technology. PLS works with any standard smartphone and for users without smartphones, an inexpensive alternative is available in the form of a mobile ultrasonic transmitter called a “puck”.

www.pyramid.de.

the biggest interactive digital screen in Belgium: I-CONIC

Hogwarts Castle gets projection-mapped for Christmas.

This is the Christmas projection mapping show running on the exterior of the Hogwarts Castle, which is the main feature (I think) of the Harry Potter attraction at the Universal Studios theme park in Orlando.

It’s a seven-minute show that’s interesting, particularly, for the technical challenge of mapping digital visuals on a canvas that is anything but flat. There are 24 projectors blasting on the castle and castle mount, and the content would need to be mapped to all the different contours and depths. Big job.

A Moment Factory tweet says the Montreal creative shop did the work, along with another agency, LA-based Thinkwell Group.

Free vending machines for homeless people.

A charity in the U.K. is trying to help homeless people by trialling vending machines that dispense essential items like food and clothing.

Source: www.digitaltrends.com

At present, the first machine is being tested in Nottingham, with a plan to expand to other major cities including Manchester, London, Birmingham, and Brighton next. “We’ll be installing machines in the United States from February 2018,” Khaled said. “New York will receive the first machine, and Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle will follow. We’ve had a deluge of interest from many cities across America, and we’re working hard to reach as many people as possible. We’re also exploring locations across wider Europe.”

Twin LED walls light up 55 Water lobby in Wall Street.

This is a nice pair of 20 by 8 foot fine pitch LED screens that have been lit up in the lobby of 55 Water Street, in the Wall Street district of Lower Manhattan. The total resolution on the screens is 6,400 by 1,260 pixels, which I assume means each of them is 3,200 by 1,260 pixels. I know, amazing math skills.



The set-up, as you can see, brands the building, but there are hours of custom content that includes social media aggregation, data feeds from transit, bike share and ride share services, and subscription content.

The content and overall project was put together by Orlando-based solutions shop DC Bolt, running Signagelive software on Christie LED screens. The screens also run off a Crestron Control system and RGB Spectrum Multi-Window video wall processor.

Albert Heijn to go I Tap to Go.

Dutch retailer Albert Heijn has started testing a new cashless shopping system at its AH To Go stores. The ‘tap, grab and go’ system involves in-store electronic shelf labels that can be scanned with an Albert Heijn loyalty card.

Customers can tap the label, which registers the item and places it in their digital basket, grab the item, and pay automatically via an app on their phone, without using a checkout. The payment amount is deducted automatically within ten minutes from their account.

Mix on the Columbia University’s Manhattanville (NYC) campus.

A 20-foot tall direct view LED wall sync’d with seven 72-inch LCD monitors, that crawl up and down the wall on side-by-side tracks, shows information about the human brain and the scientists pushing the boundaries of neuroscience research at the new Jerome L. Greene Science Center on Columbia University’s Manhattanville (NYC) campus.

The monitors, when down at eye-level, are interactive, and when sliding up and down in sequences amplify and sharpen the lower resolution images behind them on the larger LED wall.

It looks amazing.

Changi Airport, Singapore.

Singapore’s Changi Airport – Terminal 4 switched on a vast immersive fine pitch LED video wall at the security screening area. Instead of small screens and those stupid talking flat ladies droning on endlessly about what you need to pull out of your carry-ons, the content here is a 50-minute long, custom-created playlist of 17 targeted pieces. It is montages of scenes from around the region and in Singapore, and includes a Rube Goldberg-ish animation about what happens with checked bags.

The LED head.

Giant Selfie Head, Columbus, OH

This 14-foot high art piece at the Columbus convention center uses some 850,000 LED chips on small vertical modules to create a giant head that works with software and cameras to enable selfies. This is a custom 5mm pitch LED display formed in layered strips to the shape of a human head, with a radius as tight as eight inches.

The LED head electronics were manufactured by SNA Displays, and the structure and integration was by Design Communications Ltd.

The interior of the head has an integrated photo booth which uses 30 cameras to capture a 3D image of the person sitting inside. A custom developed software then unwraps the 3D model into a flattened texture map that is presented on the head within a minute of the completed scan.

900 North Michigan Shops, Chicago.

This is a stunning use of fine pitch LED in the ceiling of a seven-level shopping and lifestyle center on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. The centerpiece of the makeover at 900 North Michigan Shops is a massive, 190-foot-long digital art installation spanning the ceiling of the nearly 30-year-old complex. Visible from all floors, and built in 10 sections, the digital installation mimics a giant skylight that connects the complex’s interior to the exterior sky.

Put together by New York City-based experience design studio ESI Design, the LED canvas uses evocative content filmed at 16K resolution with state-of-the-art cameras, making the illusion of rustling trees and the sky above seem very real.

lightvert echo.

ECHO is a new advertising medium which uses the persistence of vision (PoV) effect to generate a fleeting but striking image in the eye of the viewer, from a thin, vertical line of light.There are or no screens or Apps. This is augmented reality for the naked eye.


www.lightvert.com

How does ECHO work? The ECHO system consists of a single thin, vertical reflector, measuring no more than 200mm wide, and a proprietary high-power, high-speed projection system, fixed directly below or above the reflector. ECHO is a Persistence of Vision (PoV) display technology. It works by breaking images down into vertical lines of pixel data and imprinting these lines of data on the viewer's eye. The image exists only in the viewer’s eye and not in reality.

Lumens starts to produce 0.57" and 100" micro-LED displays

According to LEDsInside, Korea-based LED developer Lumens has begun to produce small and large-area micro-LED display prototypes, and it plans to demonstrate these prototypes at CES 2018 (January 2018).

Lumens focuses on automotive HUD displays and digital signage. The small HUD display is a 0.57-inch VGA (640x480) display (either VGA or 720p, it's not clear) that uses 8 μm LED chips while the signage display is a 100" panel that uses LEDs which are 300x100 μm.

The first automotive display will be used in an aftermarket product, but the company hopes to integrate such displays in cars windshields within 2-3 years. Lumens is already in talks with automobile makers in Korea and elsewhere regarding the windshield embedded displays.

Lumens is also in talks with a "major manufacturer" to introduce the 100" digital signage display in 2018.

Source: LEDs Inside

nike shoes mapping.

Using NIKE shoes to do a practice.
Software: mad mapper cinema4d&after effects.
The bg vision&sound from beeple (vimeo.com/beeple), a very great graphic designer from USA.

Deepframe - Large format Hologram

The Danish company that has shown small pyramid-shaped hologram-like displays at recent Digital Signage Expos will be showing a much larger take on mixed reality at the upcoming CES show in Las Vegas.

Realfiction will he unveiling DeepFrame, a large glass window that uses the reflection of an OLED display’s image to create an overlay on what people are looking at.

Here’s how it is described:

DeepFrame enables photorealistic images and videos to be viewed through a glass window in 4K resolution — without requiring spectators to use any special eyewear. The patent-pending technology makes it possible – for the first time ever – to integrate digital holograms directly into everyday settings and vistas; allowing a group of people to share the same MR experience simultaneously.

In development for more than two years, DeepFrame is based on a combination of existing technologies that have been refined through rigorous research and development. The display utilizes a curved 4K OLED screen to project an ultra-high-resolution image, video or animation, which is deflected and enlarged on a transparent custom-made glass optic. By tailoring the visual for a physical environment, a glasses-free, mixed-reality experience can be created for an audience to witness collectively in real time.

A standard DeepFrame display is 64 inches, but will be available in other sizes in the near future. DeepFrame was unveiled this past May with a surprise demonstration at the Danish National Aquarium, in which a 3D rocket launched out of a still water bank.

Beam is a Smart Wearable Button That Lets you Broadcast GIFs and Messages.

The Beam Authentic is touted as the worlds first smart connected wearable. Apart from the 400×400 AMOLED display, ambient sensors, magnetic clip, the Beam authentic also comes with a rated battery life of 24-hours. The Beam Authentic is something you could use in a party place or perhaps a public gathering. This is a device that I could see volunteers trying to get attention for their cause can use.

The Beam Authentic is currently selling for $99 on their official website and this includes a $3 donation to a charity.

Magnolias Ratchadamri Boulevard - Bangkok

Magnolias Ratchadamri Boulevard will be enchanting visitors to Ratchaprasong during the festive season with an electrifying 3D projection on its 60-story tower. The new super-luxury mixed-use development from MQDC has collaborated with the award-winning Limelight group of artists on ‘Beautiful Bangkok’, a ‘building mapping’ spectacular to celebrate the year-end and boost the city’s global profile. Show times 14-31 December.

www.magnolias-ratchadamri.com

The Antarctic Dome at Coachella 2017.

Discover the amazing artistry behind "Chrysalis", Obscura's mind-blowing 360° audio-visual sensory experience housed inside The Antarctic, the world’s largest geodesic projection dome. Created exclusively for Coachella by Obscura Digital, and powered by HP, "Chrysalis" took audiences on an immersive and mind-blowing metamorphic journey through time, space and consciousness.


From Obscura Digital

EE - the IMAX Edison - Waterloo / London

Fom Ocean Outdoor .

The number of OLED TV products in 2017 has doubled compared to last year.

OLED TV models launched in 2017 have been highly increased rather than both 2015 and 2016. 16 types of OLED TVs were launched in 2016, while 30 kinds of OLED TVs were launched which covers that the number of products has nearly doubled from last year. By company, LG Electronics released total 10 types of products which are the greater number of products launched than competitors, and followed by Loewe and Panasonic with 5 types of products.

Meanwhile, OLED TV market led by LG Electronics, was taken attentions of publics when Sony decided to launch OLED TV first in the early of 2017. Sony which launched OLED TV first in CES 2017 to catch public’s eyes with “Acoustic Surface” technology that can make sounds without speakers, is leading the premium market with LG Electronics by producing 55-inch, 65-inch and 75-inch OLED TVs.

The number of OLED TV products are expected to increase in 2018 more and more. According to Flat Panels HD, Philips which launched only one model with 55-inch OLED in the early of this year, decided for releasing the 6 kinds of OLED TV such as 65OLED973, 65OLED903, 65OLED873, 65OLED803, 55OLED903, 55OLED803 and so forth. It is analyzed that the strategy is to aim at diverse consumers which divides OLED TV leading the premium TV market into high-priced line with 9xx model and low-priced line with 8xx model.

The shipment in 2018 is also expected to grow. In accordance with UBI Research, it expects that OLED panel with 55-inch and more will shipped over 2.4 million units in 2018, 9.1 million units in 2022. There is much attentions how OLED TV leading premium TV market will harden its positions all the more in 2018.

UDC and BOE sign a long-term OLED agreement.

Universal Display announced that it has signed long-term OLED agreements with BOE Technology Group. Under these agreements, UDC will supply phosphorescent OLED materials to BOE. UDC and BOE signed their first agreement n 2014 and it is great to see these evolve into long-term agreements.

BOE started to produce flexible OLED displays at its Chengdu B7 6-Gen fab in October 2017. BOE's B7 fab is the company's first flexible AMOLED line and actual real mass production will probably begin at about Q1 2018. The full capacity is 48,000 substrates per month, but this will only be achieved in the first half of 2019.

Waitrose is creating a white Christmas display at shopping centres to tie in with its festive ad.

Artificial snow will fall every 30 minutes as its TV ad, "Snowed in" by Adam & Eve/DDB, plays with full audio on Ocean Outdoor’s large digital out of home sites.

The campaign will run this weekend and next weekend at Westfield shopping centres in Shepherd’s Bush and Stratford. It has been created by Manning Gottlieb OMD and executed by Talon.

"Snowed in" shows villagers who gather at their local pub for a Christmas morning drink getting snowed in. Instead of panicking or trying to get out they pull together a Christmas Day meal.



Alia Ahmad, marketing manager at Waitrose, said: "We are always looking for exciting ways to bring our brand to life and even more so at Christmas. We think this campaign will look and sound really magical as our ad plays and hopefully get people in the Christmas spirit."

Digital OOH continues to grow across GB.

New data from Route is released today. This shows that the audience of digital out of home (DOOH) advertising continues to grow and now offers advertisers 51% cover of GB adults each week.

Other points worth noting in the data include:

1) Digital OOH now reaches 92% of Londoners each week
2) East of England sees the highest growth in weekly digital cover,
    up 12% since last quarter (49.5%  cover vs 44.2% in Q3)
3) Londoners are exposed to DOOH more frequently, seeing 51 digital
    frames per week compared to 27 as a nationwide average.
4) On average, Britons see one more digital out of home ad per week
    than they did last quarter (27 vs 25.9 in Q3).
5) Digital impacts are up by 6% since the last quarter.
6) The growth reflects the increase in digital inventory now
    measured by Route.The latest dataset includes the measurement
    of 6,097 digital frames.

The chart below shows the current weekly digital cover by region.

Augmented Reality Windshields.

Continental’s new DMD projection technology puts information right in a driver's line of sight

Lincoln is one of the first automakers to step closer to full augmented reality displays in vehicle windshields. Two of its models now have digital micro-mirror device (DMD) technology made by Continental, which projects bigger, clearer and more complex graphics. The technology is seen as a bridge between older heads-up display systems and forthcoming AR technology.

The system works in a similar way as modern digital cinema projectors. A picture generating unit produces an image which is enlarged and projected onto the windshield using a series of mirrors and lenses. The resulting image is much brighter than the previously common reflected LCD technology.

The benefits of the system are brighter graphics that can be clearly seen in daytime sunlight. Projecting information on the windshield keeps a driver’s eyes close to the road and reduces distractions from checking other in-car screens. This is particularly helpful with visual aids from the navigation system that can show alerts for intersection turns or highway exits.

3D images “floating in air”

Here’s how the technology works. Light from a light-emitting diode (LED) passes through a transparent plate embedded with tens of thousands of Fresnel lenses, which are special lenses that can alter the light beam angle. In this way, light is refracted to produce an image in the upper air above the plate. This results in the projection of 3D images. Using this technology can add extra information (benefits and convenience) to a variety of objects in the real world. Moreover, all you need for aerial imaging is one LED and one transparent plate. With these components, 3D images can be easily projected virtually anywhere. In fact, the possible applications of aerial imaging expand almost limitlessly.

More information www.omron.com

Interactive Digital Signage Billboard Demo for Française des Jeux.

Remi Grumeau

Realtime interactive digital billboard demo I created when working at Instore Solution - smartphone optimized webpage acts as a gamepad with the connected billboard. Everything is full HTML5, working on 3G without any app other than the web browser

2017 Opening show Viena 2017

OPENING SHOW VIENA 2017
client NCB
agency SMARTWORKS
Music and sFX by SOFÍA BARCALA

Keeping Real Time at Schiphol Amsterdam Airport.

As modern humans, we literally and figuratively live and die by the fourth dimensional concept of time. And nowhere on Earth, as we know it, is that statement truer than at airports, where a delayed arrival or departure can set off a calamitous chain reaction for paying customers lugging both literal and figurative baggage to and fro. Unsurprisingly, timepieces abound at every turn whether it’s with digital clocks and screens or the traditional mechanics of minute and second hands ticking away. That said, what is the next step in terms of innovation for expressing this universal and practical concept? Maybe there isn’t yet a definitive answer within grasp, but we believe a starting point may lie in the performance art piece outlined below at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.

Maarten Baas, a prolific and playful Dutch art designer known for blurring conventional lines with installations and performances at places like MoMa, Les Arts Decoratifs and the San Francisco Museum of Art, was commissioned by the Netherlands’ premier international hub, and Europe’s third largest airport overall, to essentially reinvent the clock for one of its main terminals. Baas has basically made it appear as if he is stuck inside a massive steel box suspended from the airport’s ceiling—doomed to forever draw and then erase the hands of a giant clock as time moves forward.

Although it was originally created in 2009 for Milan Design Week, this installation has confounded many an onlooker, not to mention online audiences. In reality, they’re all watching a 12-hour video loop. However, this shouldn’t diminish the fact that this feat initially required a flawless performance in real time. One only needs to check out Baas’ website for proof of his commitment to irreverent and self-aware presentations. But, for those that don’t have the time, simply check out the video below for a closer look and quick overview of the “Schiphol Clock.

ALD Mobility Experience Centre in the Netherlands.

Mobility, is that an interesting subject? Sure it is, because it touches on being a good employer, reaching operational excellence and fulfilling green goals. To guard the conversation in these directions, ALD Automotive asked Tinker to develop a client experience adventure. It turned out to be the ALD Mobilty Experience, a ‘conversation engine’, in which management teams explore their own mobility profiles.



From  Tinker Imagineers

IHS: SDC will retain its RGB OLED market lead, will double its capacity by 2022.

IHS analyst David Hsieh posted a very interesting article that discuss the global OLED industry with a special focus on China. Samsung is expected to retain its lead in this market - and will more than double its capacity between 2017 to 2022.

In five years (2022), Samsung will have a capacity to produce 16.6 million square meters of RGB OLED displays, or 52% of the global capacity. SDC will be followed by LG Display (11%), Tianma (6%), CSoT (5%), Visionox (4%) and EverDisplay (4%).

In an interesting analysis, David says that the Korean players (LGD and SDC) are focused on large "mega" fabs, such as Samsung's A3 and A4 flexible OLED production centers. The Chinese makers, in contrast, are constructing a large number of smaller OLED fabs, to take advantage of local government subsidiaries. This could be a problem for the Chinese OLED makers as a huge central fab has many advantages with sheer volume, local supply chain and expertise. Of course spreading your fabs also have advantages in case of natural catastrophes, etc.

Source: IHS

Franchise Freedom.

In celebration of Art Basel in Miami Beach, Studio Drift, Faena, PACE and BMW will premiere FRANCHISE FREEDOM – a flying sculpture by Studio Drift in partnership with BMW”, a performative artwork at the interface between technology, science, nature and art. An autonomous flying swarm of 300 drones.

Date Public viewings 7-10 December, 8PM – weather permitting | Final time and date will be shared on Instagram @studio.drift.
Location: Faena Hotel Miami Beach.
press release.

MTV in London.

MTVEMA and #LondonIsOpen projection onto City Hall.


from Projection Artworks .