Our initial objective was to undertake R&D to experiment with LEGO, projection mapping and computer vision. This evolved into creating play tables for three brands Dino, Arctic, Underwater for five LEGO Discovery Centres with audiovisual and interactive features.
Animations featured many LEGO models brought to life - dinosaurs, polar bears, submarines. While touchscreens guide guests to build themed models brick-by-brick.
We worked with LEGO model makers to integrate hardware (video projection, audio, sensors, touchscreens and a PC) into each bespoke tablet to create a truly immersive experience. Digital content design then complemented the physical LEGO.
Software processed video feeds of guests hands in order to trigger real-time animations. Components included ZED cameras, Unity and OpenCV.
In addition to the features included in the first tables, we have prototyped several advanced features for the future development; these include augmented displays to combine physical LEGO with digital visual effects and using dynamic projections to guide users in building models.
We completed the project in around four months.
We believe the potential for combining physical play with augmentation and show control is vast and we look forward to building on these designs.
