Content creation for Mixed-Reality Particle Based Display Exhibitions

Science fiction movies, such as Star Wars or The Avengers portray the vision of volumetric systems in which the characters cannot only see 3D content floating in mid-air, but they can also feel it and hear it, interacting with it with their bare eyes, ears and hands, just as they would do with any other real object around them. Current display approaches, such as VR, allow us to get a glimpse of such experiences, but users need to wear headsets and other devices such as VR controllers or data-gloves. These devices create visual, tactile and auditive stimuli as to trick our brains into believing that the contents we are seeing are real. Instead of creating illusions, Particle Based Displays (PBDs) take an approach which is much closer to these visions from science fiction, directly controlling matter in the real world to create contents that we can directly see, hear and touch. PBD systems make use of ultrasounds to trap and move small particles in mid-air. By quickly moving and colouring these particles in 3D space, PBD systems can create coloured volumetric shapes visible by our naked eyes. Making use of the pressure delivered by the ultrasound acoustic waves, PBDs can also create points of high pressure that our bare hands can feel, or induce air vibrations that create audible sound. During this 3 year programme, our team of artists and researchers will make use of PBDs to create public artistic installations in UK and Shanghai, showcasing immersive mixed-reality installations in which virtual content (created by the PBD) and real contents (scenery, real props, illumination) will merge seamlessly, creating new and magical experiences for entertainment, story-telling, retail and digital signage. The programme will also exploit collaborations with media artists and industries in UK, Shanghai and across the globe, creating a network of collaborators to explore the potential of PBD displays, either together with us or independently. At the same time, we will work in creating development tools to make the creation of PBD experiences easier, allowing our technology to become accessible to more people, and as a necessary step to take our PBD displays from our labs and exhibitions and into our workplaces and homes.