The Space

This installation will be in the lobby of the LIM. Just as visitors walk in, they are greeted by a large projection just above a carriage on display.

The State of the Art

 

With this video about the technical details of projection mapping, we considered the possibility of projecting onto an existing exhibit. This was retired after it became clear we would be projecting on a flat surface.

 

 

 

Hampton Court 500 – REWIND – Behind the Scenes from 59 Productions on Vimeo.

This video gave us a better idea of how projection mapping could be used, but again was forgotten once we found we were working with a flat surface.

 

 

The Kinect

One of the more affordable options for gesture tracking is the Microsoft Kinect, which was developed to enable gesture-based controls on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One, Microsoft’s video game platforms. Support has been dropped, but the devices were widespread enough to be affordable. After support for the kinect was dropped, alternatives like the Astra Orbbec were developed.

 

To maintain affordability, a used kinect will be used. While an adapter is available on the market to connect the Kinect to a standard USB port, its availability has gone down significantly with Microsoft’s dropped support, with prices skyrocketing as a result. Both generations of the Kinect sensor use a modified USB interface to enable power delivery beyond the spec, as well as maintain a closed garden ecosystem for the device. Because the connection is in essence USB, it can easily be rewired with an external power supply to use with standard PCs. The V1 can even be used with something as cheap as the raspberry pi, since it remains USB 2.0.

At the professor’s suggestion, we have stepped away from using gesture control in favor of a small touchscreen.