SXSW 2018 "WOW Studio"
Sony took part in SXSW 2018 (South by Southwest), the world's largest creative business conference and festival, held in Austin, Texas.
From March 10 to 13, 2018, titled the "WOW Studio," Sony introduced various ongoing projects, incorporating cutting-edge technologies and its latest prototypes,
and visitors were invited to enjoy and experience Sony's playful and interactive exhibits.
Sony is committed to developing products and technologies that exist at the closest point of contact with its customers around the world
and delivering kando (experiences that resonate at an emotional level) by combining those products and technologies with content.
Below are some of the projects
that Sony designers contributed to.
A(i)R Hockey
Visitors were able to take part in a new AR (Augmented Reality) hockey game. In this game, three players each choose a team color—red, blue, or green. Sony's high-speed vision sensors (IMX382) track the puck and paddles on a real-time basis, and the unique predictive algorithms enable projections based on movement. Adding haptics technology takes this game to a whole new level of immersiveness, as you can now actually feel the sensation of hitting a virtual puck.
Interactive CUBE
Interactive CUBE is an entertainment experience that invigorates the senses by incorporating images, sounds, lights, and vibrations into a giant cube. Two screens, one of which is transparent, are formed into the shape of a cube and images are projected onto them, making guests inside the cube feel as if the images were floating in midair. Visitors could enjoy a variety of interactive games, and through our collaboration with the creative agency SIX, they could experience a new form of DJing where the messages in music are rendered visually and the lyrics appear as the song is being played.
Interactive Tabletop Projector
Interactive Tabletop Projector is a technology to create public and interactive AR space. This system uses Sony’s unique sensing technology to recognize fingers touching a table or floating in air, and creates an interactive large screen on the table. As well as this, multiple projection units create 3D interactive projection mapping. At SXSW, visitors could have a jam session and enjoy an interactive music experience as an example application of this technology.
Message Board
Inside the WOW Studio, many Xperia Touch devices were available for guests to write comments and draw images onto a projected screen. Those messages and drawings were then sent and displayed on a big screen by the exit. The Xperia Touch technology can turn any empty space into a touchscreen, replacing a device's screen with the texture of wood or a rougher surface for an entirely new touch experience.
Space and
Communication Design
Spatial design is based on the concept of "Unexpected Experience," and expresses our response to moments that make us say, "WOW!" Bold colors and heartbeat lines express the activity of our souls. Colorful neon lights are used in abundance to create a truly immersive entertainment experience. At the same time, the design also uses raw materials to give the space a sense of warmth, and a rougher design (purposefully incomplete), for a worldview befitting an exhibition of projects in the midst of their research and development processes.