25 Aug The Practicality of Touchless, Interactive Video Walls
In a world wrought by a global pandemic, organizations everywhere search for innovative ways of showcasing products and services while abiding by local restrictions and mandates. While many traditionally effective methods of generating awareness and driving sales have become impractical, interactive video walls continue to be a powerful medium for accomplishing these goals.
Regardless of location, interactive video walls demand attention and can be easily tailored to serve various commercial and educational functions. Airports often use them to outline flight schedules and direct passengers. Museums integrate interactive walls into their exhibits, imparting visitors the freedom to explore what interests them the most. We recently created one for our gaming division, Amebous Labs, to take to the Southern-Fried Gaming Expo (SFGE).
With the launch of our virtual reality gardening game, Loam, expected later this year, we needed a sanitary way of drawing attention and garnering excitement for the game at our booth. Pre-pandemic, Amebous Labs could bring VR headsets to events and clean them with alcohol wipes before and after each use. However, out of an abundance of caution, we decided that an interactive wall showcasing the world of Loam would be a powerful way to introduce potential players to the game’s characters, plants, and critters.
Interactive walls’ incredibly modular nature makes each experience unique; these screens are customizable and can easily be scaled up or down to fit nearly any purpose or occasion. Rather than rely on touchscreens to facilitate interactive elements, we opted to forgo contact entirely by translating the VR garden game into an experience playable via an Azure Kinect sensor, effectively making each user’s body their controller. By pulling our assets directly from Loam, we managed to stay true to the game’s look and feel, matching its magical world of plants, critters, and decorations as faithfully as possible.
Despite the constraints that spurred its creation, the Loam-inspired, interactive wall provided a practical, sanitary option for immersive experiences. Considering every event has different regulations concerning the spread of COVID-19, we recommend brands incorporate interactive walls into their marketing strategies because they can be easily altered to comply with new rules without sacrificing any aspects of their alluring nature.
Once the experience was up and running at SFGE, it immediately began drawing attention. Users of all ages stepped up to the screen to trigger the experience. As it progressed, players met the game’s main characters, selected plants and decor, and successfully attracted new critters. To make selections, all players had to do was wave their hand above their preferred choice, eliminating any need to sanitize the screen. Even those who opted not to play the game couldn’t help but stare as they walked past it.
We enjoyed translating Loam into an interactive wall experience almost as much as SFGE enjoyed playing it. If our interactive wall piqued your interest in Loam, then you’re in luck! Amebous Labs is preparing for another round of playtesting; to sign up, complete our survey.
