CONTACT: Mark Schmitz, principal and creative director of ZEBRADOG
(608) 257-8400
Mark@zebradog.com
Local company’s world-class installation wows judges and thrills visitors to the Institutes
MADISON— One of the most creative and technically sophisticated interactive-media installations in the world was unveiled recently at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery…and it has already won a major international award for Madison’s own ZEBRADOG!
The installation offers an unparalleled virtual experience for visitors to the Institutes, taking them into the world of scientific discovery and allowing new levels of exploration and interaction. The international Digital Screenmedia Association took notice and last week bestowed a 2011 Award of Excellence on the installation and the team, led by ZEBRADOG, that created it.
Winners of the Association’s awards competition came from around the world, and the judges had this to say about the installation ZEBRADOG produced for the Institutes:
“WOW…This is a fantastic use of technology, both for practical purposes and for fun.”
“Very innovative use of technology…Very cool Discovery Wall!”
“Very engaging implementation— fit for an Institute[s] of Discovery.”
ZEBRADOG is a nationally known environmental graphics firm. For the installation at the Institutes, ZEBRADOG company led a team of programmers, engineers, software developers and interactive technology specialists in creating content, designing the installation, and producing the project.
Mark Schmitz, principal and creative director with ZEBRADOG, says he is very pleased with the recognition that the installation has received, because it is unique and engages visitors in ways that have not been technologically possible until now.
“This is the first public installation in the world that we know of which responds to gestures, ambient interactions, touch-screen interactions and also has the ability to use radio frequency identification [RFID] tags to recognize individuals,” says Schmitz. “For visitors to the Institutes, the result is an almost magical personalized experience delivered through one enormous, multi-user interface. It’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen. The interactivity is simply transformational.”
The installation features one-of-a-kind display technology MicroTiles, which create one of the highest-resolution, most fully interactive, audio and video environments in the world.
ZEBRADOG’s team of participating design and engineering firms took an innovative approach to layering an array of different sensors within the installation, including sensors for motion detection, infrared-camera tracking, laser scanning, RFID and more. These sensors support an unprecedented number of impressive audio and visual effects. As a result, the installation gives visitors a dynamic and easy-to-navigate functional interface perfect for exploring scientific breakthroughs currently being advanced within the Institutes.
In addition to producing this award-winning virtual media experience, ZEBRADOG also developed the comprehensive guest experience program for the Town Center in the Institutes, which includes
* three dining venues and fully handicapped-accessible building kiosks.
* a touch-activated discovery niche within a Mesozoic forest installation
* an interactive microscope station
* a historical presentation of the original Rennebohm’s classic “R” on the building façade— a nod to the building that once stood on the present site of the Institutes.
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ZEBRADOG is an environmental brand development firm that visualizes dynamic brands throughout the country. From universities, community colleges, municipalities and health-care facilities, to public parks and athletic facilities, ZEBRADOG visualizes the story of a brand within and around its own physical and digital space.
