AMAZON KINDLE HQ
100% custom design, build, and installation for the flagship lobby of Amazon’s Seattle HQ.
In 2020 Lumenarius was contracted to design, fabricate, program, and deliver a 3D projection mapping installation for the Seattle magnate’s lobby.
Something that looked amazing everyday in all lighting while leveraging their core technology of the Kindle.
THE EXPERIENCE
The 9k lumen HD laser projector shines through any ambient sunlight and interior lighting providing the text a clear platform to show at all times of the day.
The client was thrilled. We were jazzed. The installation team was happy their job was easy and up to code. Also, the on-site team felt confident managing the system with clear documentation and Lumenarius long term support.
It was a pleasure to work with all parties involved and the project shines on everyday at Amazon Invictus in downtown Seattle, WA, USA.
^^ SEE IT IN FULL 360º ^^
“Great work my friend - so impressed with what you put together!”
∆ Jae, Project Director, DECLAN
THE SYSTEM
Unique design constraints combined to make this a project a creative challenge.
After many meetings and revisions a decision was made.
The installation would scan pages of text from the Kindle via a custom Optical Character Recognition (OCR) application, save it, and then animate that text onto the book sculpture in the lobby.
This allowed the on-site team to choose a new book via the Kindle, set the number of pages to scan, and then the software would take it from there.
Both the projector and the computer enclosure were fully digitally fabricated and styled using an array of in-house CNC machines to match the modern wooden decor of the lobby.
THE CONTENT
The specificity of the client’s vision demanded a custom written computer program.
It is not easy to get the words from a Kindle onto any text file on another computer. So, a custom solution was developed that placed a camera with integrated OCR processors to look at the Kindle screen.
A microcontroller triggered the scan, page turn, and other functions as if a person was pressing the keys and reading the digital book.
These raw images were saved, processed into text, saved in a local file, and then loaded sequentially through our software to be animated onto the real life wall of books.
