Human Visualisation

One thing I noticed in Vienna, and passing through Brussels airport on the way home, was a number of “augmented reality” advertising displays, ones that detect people in front of them and then show that on their screens. In all the following, Steve Gray of CASA was the subject being visualised.

Here was the first I saw, at Wien Mitte S-Bahn station, where a special “performance” box was taped out on the platform alongside:

Then, at Vienna Aiport, they had a screen above part of a walkway, which augmented various “forest” animals with passersby. Rabbits and deer would appear, grazing on the “grass” when no one was passing. As people approached, the animals would disappear back into the undergrowth. Passing people on the screen left virtual “leaf trails”, while butterflies would occassionally land on their shoulders. Unfortunately my camera didn’t take a great picture, although you can see a butterfly on someone’s hair and some leaf trails here:

On changing through Brussels, a “heat scanner” showed passing people. This was beside a travelator, so your moment of fame was brief:

Vienna itself currently has a aural art installation from the Royal College of Arts. On walking through the Meccano-like sculpture, detectors would sense you and a nearby speaker would start playing a musical sound. Each detector had a different sound type, but they worked in harmony to produce a kind of song, changing as you and other people moved around:

Sadly, on our arrival into Heathrow, we were back to the regular non-augmented ad experience.