MMS PX - Interactive floor projection
Historical background
The project is an outcome of the contract with FXGroup sp. z.o.o., an advertising agency in Warsaw. The agency wanted to obtain an interactive floor projection system for its customers. By that time (2006) very few such systems were on the market. Notable example is “PoolSystem” from Impressx.
System had evolved from the demo Linux based version, with only football game code. The demo served as a presentation to attract prospective customers. The demo was used for customer trials, e.g., in shopping malls or on a World Cyber Games 2007. After this stage, the system described below was created, with all additional requirements and features implemented. Mechanical parts were made by other subcontractors. System was integrated and delivered to the customers.
| Project info | |
|---|---|
| For | FXGroup sp. z.o.o. |
| Time-frame | 2006 - 2008 |
| Co-authors | NA |
| Size | Confidential |
| Keywords | C++, Visual Studio, Irrlicht, OpenGL, OpenCV, DirectShow |
| Status | Finished |
Description
Idea
MMS PX is an interactive floor projection system that offers the possibility to advertise and attract customer's attention in a novel way.
The system uses powerful video projector, IR-enabled camera and a PC, which is performing image processing, motion analysis and generates OpenGL based virtual environment on the floor (i.e., projector's screen).
Details
The most important part of the system - the software - captures the video stream, improves image quality and, finally, two consecutive frames are taken to perform motion analysis.
The game engine is controlled by the areas where the motion on the floor occurred. After that it performs various actions like: flipping panels, kicking the ball or making ripples on the water.
From the technical point of view, the software uses Irrlicht 3D game engine, OpenCV library as an industry proven image processing implementation and Microsoft DirectShow API as an interface the video grabber. The games have a form of highly configurable plug-ins, with In System Update Service implemented within the system.
Result
This project is valuable to me not only because of its financial outcome, but also because it was one of the first major contracts I did. I had to learn how to conduct commercial venture, plan project cycle, negotiate, analyze requirements and understand how it differs from student/scientific projects. Also, the complexity of the project was greater than before.
