The team called on the expertise of live video and mobile projection artist, Shaun from PRICKIMAGE and creator of WALKABOUT Projection – a small and portable video projected augmented reality system which brings digital puppetry and interactive 3D character performances to any location.
Shaun explained, “The team had concepts of using a car, but with the event taking place on the high street, this wasn’t plausible.”
The first WALKABOUT Projection used Optoma’s ultra-portable LED projector, the ML750e, it also consisted of a simple tripod which held the projector, a battery pack, mini pc and Leap Motion which was connected by Velcro.
Shaun worked with Luma-ID, 3D printing concept, prototype & product designers, to design the second generation of the WALKABOUT Projection, which saw Shaun also upgrade the ML750e to the ML750ST. Now planning third generation that could incorporate and simplify the ProjectedAR characters control for public use, which could be updated via an app.
The ML750ST builds upon the popular ML750e but has been engineered with a short-throw lens to make it even more flexible.
Weighing just 420g, it has all the same features as the tiny ML750e including a media player, native office viewer and built-in speaker.
With instant power on/off LED technology, the ML750ST is primed for instant plug-and-play viewing on the move. And the extraordinary life of LEDs (20,000 hours) will ensure it stays clear and bright.
Digital signage applications are ideal for the ML750ST as the projector can be mounted in virtually any orientation, and it can play video files directly from a microSD card as soon as the projector is switched on.
Shaun explained, “We turned the ML750ST into a guerrilla urban street machine with external speaker, GoPro, and Leap Motion.
“The ML750ST is brighter, and the short-throw lens means I can get a bigger image from a closer proximity to the projection surface. Everyone wants a more vivid and bigger picture; ML750ST delivers this perfectly.
“It also allowed us to have personal, up-close & visceral experiences with the children, adults & dogs that can be seen in the post-event video. A vehicle would not have allowed the magic & fantasy to exist in the same way, or give us the flexibility to move around like a puppeteer.”