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Lightspace Corporation Arrives in UK with Lee Engineering
Boston-based Lightspace Corporation, a developer of interactive entertainment and display technology, has announced the appointment of Lee Engineering as its UK distributor.
The Lightspace range comprises three systems — Lightspace Play, Lightspace Design and Lightspace Dance — based on an interactive floor/wall system using 400 mm2 low-res LED tiles. Each tile contains four 200mm2 RGB pixels and four pressure sensors, through which the user can interact with the Lightspace surface.
Lee Engineering directors Phil Leedal and Ian Nelson state that the technology fits perfectly within their Education and Special Needs portfolio — a key market for the Lancaster-based company; but there are also systems specific to the entertainment and architectural markets.
Lightspace Play is a boxed system that comprises a 6 x 6 tile matrix layout and an arcade-like control station that houses a touchscreen, PC and powered speaker. The system is supplied with eight competitive games, eight activity programmes and five lightshows (‘LightSofts’).
The games package is based around interaction with moving light shapes on the floor, and range from the classic tennis style video games through to a bug squash game where light ‘bugs’ require the users to jump on each bug to score points.
The activities are non-competitive and are designed to allow the user to interact with the environment created on the floor. Activities include ‘Animal Time’, where stepping on a specific coloured square plays the noise of various animals through the powered monitor; ‘Music Maker’, where the floor becomes a number of musical instruments, and ‘Colour Field’, where simply stepping on a tile will initiate an explosion of colour under the user’s feet.
Non-interactive ‘LightSofts’ can be programmed to be displayed for a period and later return to the start-up screen. Each LightSoft will display for a preset period and continually morph through various programmes creating a spectacular, ever-changing floor surface.
Lightspace Design can be custom designed to fit any floor or wall area and is controlled via the Lightspace LMS software suite. LightSofts can be displayed and interactivity controlled via the pressure sensors located in the floor tiles. Video can also be displayed and merged with existing LightSofts to create exciting interactive environments that constantly change and morph depending on the level of pressure exerted on the tiles and the number of people on the floor surface.
Lightspace Dance is another custom-designed system that is primarily aimed at the entertainment industry to create interactive dancefloors in clubs and venues. Through the pressure sensors and the Lightspace LMS software, dancers in a venue interact in real time with the dancefloor and create their own environment as they dance.
All of the systems are sealed with a vinyl covering to ensure that there can be no liquid ingress and the floor tiles are constructed of high impact polycarbonate and a clear lexan top cover.
Lightspace Control is based around a PC running either Lightspace Play software or LMS system software and can be controlled either through an integral touchscreen or conventional PC mouse.
Communication between the PC and the tiles is via Ethernet, each tile having a unique IP address, set-up of which is achieved via walking the floor during installation, each consecutive tile being addressed as pressure is applied to that tile. Diagnostics are included which allow the system to be fully tested for bidirectional communication, LED functionality and pressure sensor functionality plus sensor calibration. There is also the facility to adjust the sensitivity of the floor sensors to ensure the system works correctly in each different application.
Currently, software is being developed which will allow DMX control of the floor tiles and also allow the Lightspace system to generate DMX so that other DMX light fittings can be controlled from clients interacting with the system.
Typical applications for Lightspace include Special Needs/Education; Architectural; Entertainment Venues; Gaming Arcades/Casinos and Health Clubs.
11th February 2008
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