byAR - Using Projection Mapping For AR In A Museum
byAR used the Interactive Wall Kit to create a projection mapping table, with the animations giving the visitors more information when they interact with the table.
Since its inception, the Interactive Wall Kit has powered hundreds of interactive exhibits, displays and activations worldwide. As the name suggests, the product is aimed at businesses looking to create interactive walls, however every now and then we receive a project that uses the technology in a particularly novel way. ByAR’s latest museum display, which combines AR to create an interactive table is one of them.
When Pedro, byAR’s augmented reality specialist, started conceiving an exhibition about Ernesto Korrodi, a Swiss architect, he wanted to feature a table with his work in the middle of the room. The aim was to create the experience that would allow visitors to feel like they were entering Korrodi’s studio, where the table in the centre would represent the actual workbench he used to present his work.
Augmented & Interactive Video Mapping exhibition from byAR - Augmenting Your Reality on Vimeo.
Over this smart table, byAR deployed several books which visitors could flip through and browse. Using video mapping projection and computer vision technologies they were able to display the right content on each blank page of each book as the visitors cycled through the pages. In addition to this, certain parts of the table contained special contents which could be activated by touch.
The technological challenge was determining how to add interactivity to a table with an irregular surface. They could not use infrared technology to put a frame around the table as the objects on the table would create interference. They also didn’t want to use computer vision technology to detect the interactions because such methods are not very accurate.
The Interactive Wall Kit proved ideal for this museum display for several reasons. One important one being the noise protection it delivers. The hardware and the included shielded cables, are designed to significantly reduce the interference of electrical noise, creating a robust display that can withstand heavy use over a long period of time. Most importantly, the team at byAR found the kit to be easy to test, install and implement.
The Interactive Wall Kit also allowed the team to design custom touch sensors as the interface, providing a simple level of interactivity: Just having a few touchable hot points to activate different contents. The ability to customise and paint their own buttons into any shape they wanted proved perfect for their bespoke display. Furthermore, the ability to use capacitive sensing technology to create capacitive touch points added flexibility to their display, as each sensor could be calibrated and tuned individually. The final piece became an interactive touch table with a complicated surface but a very accurate, stable method of interactivity.
When Pedro sent us this project he also wrote us these kind words:
“Its important to emphasise the contributions of Bare Conductive through the entire process. The company provided us a wonderful assistance with their helpful service. It was fast and detailed, it answered all of our questions. However, even more importantly from a developer’s perspective, the level of documentation and resources available on Bare Conductive’s website is simply amazing. Using both the Arduino and the Processing examples that are provided, we were able to modify our system easily for any detail we required. The source codes are easy to understand and even easier to edit. For these, we are grateful to Bare Conductive and proud to have such a successful project installed with ease.”
Many thanks, Pedro and byAR! It was a pleasure working with you and we love the project.
The Interactive Wall Kit is the perfect tool for creating displays on walls or tabletops. Whether you’re looking to trigger sound or video, this kit makes it easy to create working interactive surfaces.
Images & Video: byAR
Do you want to create your own interactive installation? Explore the Interactive Wall Kit and learn how to create a projection mapping installation.
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