Amoreiras 360º Panoramic Elevator

In September 2015 we did a project for State of the Art to develop a few installations to celebrate 30 Anos Amoreiras. Amongst this installation was an elevator simulator, decorated with TV screens and LED strips. The simulator was promoting the upcoming opening of a 360 Panoramic View in the top of Amoreiras Shopping tower.

The project had it’s usual share of setbacks that a project of this size usually has, so we are quite happy to see it operating well and already open to the public.

The elevator is located at Amoreiras Shopping Center, taking guests all the way to 18th floor to enjoy the 360 degree Panoramic View. More information about the viewpoint can be found at http://www.amoreiras360view.com/.

Customer: Mundicenter
Production: ArticaCC
Project Lead: André Almeida
Structure / Interiors Design: Eric da Costa
Construction: Hilário Almeida
Assembly: Eric da Costa, José Noronha, João Ribeiro, André Almeida
Electronics: Bruno Serras, Tarquínio Mota
Video Software: Guilherme Martins, André Almeida
Video Editing: Filipe Barbosa, Guilherme Martins
Sound: M-Pex
Drone Video Capture: SkyEye

 

Continente Missão Sorriso

We had to create an interactive installation for a road-show campaign that would be travelling through several schools across Portugal to promote Missão Sorriso. The project involved developing a Band Hero clone that could play 3 licensed tracks from Orelha Negra. To bring more impact to the experience we used real instruments as input devices instead of the usual plastic controllers.

Hardware

The hardware had to be procured and modified to allow for non-musicians to still be able to play the game. We had 4 different instruments.

Drum Set

We purchased a real drum set and stripped it down to a few minimum elements: bass drum, snare drum, tom and hi-hat. This was required for the portability of the drum set during the roadshow.

Next, we coupled to it an Arduino with several piezo sensors. The piezos were placed inside each drum element which was muffled with a plastic material to prevent sound noise and physical damage to the piezos.

The Arduino would register the values and send a WebSocket message to a Node server.

Bass Guitar

The bass guitar was purchased as one of those build at home kits, that saved some work of breaking a new guitar apart.

We actually had 2 bass guitar prototypes, one using frequency analysis of the picks, and the other using actual sensors. The second prototype proved to be both more robust and easy to learn to use, and that’s the one that was used in the end.

The pick was taken apart from a plastic controller of guitar hero. The bass guitar carved up for more space to place it inside along with an Arduino and connections to the triggers placed on the handle bar.

Similar to the drum set, the Arduino would register the values and send a websockets message by ethernet network to a node.js server.

Keyboard

The keyboard was a standard midi keyboard, sending midi values that are converted into websockets messages by our node.js server working as a proxy.

Sampler

The sampler was a standard MPC. We opened it up to replace the lights with matching colors to the game and remove any buttons without usage. Similar to the keyboard, the MPC sent midi messages that were converted into websockets messages by our node.js server working as a proxy.

Software

In the software department the whole application is actually a webpage with a localhost server.

  • The design is hardcoded to FullHD resolution.

  • Web Audio API is used to trigger sounds.

  • WebGL (via pixi.js) is used to give 3d acceleration to the interactive elements.

To sync the tracks we developed an internal editor to add/move/edit/delete track nodes. It was made to easy scroll back and forth with the mousewheel to check for music synchronism. And it included functionality to import and export as json.

An additional requirement was made to input high-scores from each session and export them to a local file, for the client to analyse after the roadshow was done.

As previously mentioned the sourcecode is open source available under MIT license. Feel free to fork it to add support for frets on fire assets, other controllers, play music directly from youtube / soundcloud, etc.

Installation

We delivered the project as a turn key solution. Fully pre-tested and ready to operate by the roadshow crew alone. They were touring several schools during 2 months, we wouldn’t be able to be present during all of the sessions but were available to provide support when required.

All the hardware was ready to plug and play. We provided a technical ryder for the cables, labelled all inputs and ducttapped the unused ports. We also provided an operations and troubleshooting manual and provided replacement parts for the more sensitive components that might not resist the hard life on the road.

We were present on the initial setup sessions to make sure all things worked smoothly. We caught some early malfunctions and had to repair them but overall we were impressed on how well the system held up on the road.

Customer:
Continente Missão Sorriso

Agency:
GCI

Software:
Filipe Cruz, André Almeida

Instruments Hacking & Electronics:
Guilherme Martins

Valentine’s Interactive Hanky

It all started with the idea of creating a workshop around the theme of paper circuits, with great inspiration from the work and research of Jie QuiLiza Stark and others. Above all, the main idea was to transfer skills and knowledge to the team at Casa do Conhecimento. To show how easy it is to create simple things that are both beautiful and can have a great impact. We had this initial idea but we were still lacking a concept on the same level to the technology. The workshop was planned for February, which coincided with the Namorar Portugal (Flirting Portugal) event and all the Valentine happenings, and being Vila Verde the capital of this event we decided to combine the paper circuits workshop with the famous and acclaimed Lenço dos Namorados (Valentine’s handkerchief).

And so it was born the idea of transforming a traditional Valentine’s handkerchief into an interactive object, using different sensors, SMD coloured LEDs, Arduinos and copper tape.

The handkerchief we used was replicated using volume inks to avoid using the original cloth handkerchief.

The circuit was created with a 1:1 printed version.

As it evolved, it became a kind of work that resembled the craftsmanship of jewellery and filigree, an old very acclaimed Portuguese traditional craft.

After demystifying the process of placing the copper tape and soldering the LEDs, the folks from Casa do Conhecimento were able to finish the circuit on their own while Guilherme prepared the Arduino connections.

The circuit completed. We can see on the top left corner a pressure sensor, depending on how hard it is pressed the hearts pulsate with higher or lower intensity. On the right corner, there is a hidden infrared proximity sensor, when the hand approaches the sensor the sea waves light up in sequence. In the centre there is a microphone, the blowing intensity lights the stems and flowers. On the lower left corner, there is an LDR sensor which makes the heart LEDs react to changes in luminosity. Finally, on the lower right corner we have a capacitive sensor, touching it with a finger makes the letter light up and triggers on a small speaker the sound of a little bird.

For each of these sensor and actuator systems, we used a Motoruino (our very own Arduino clone). You can see the wiring mess underneath, with such a tight deadline there was no time to arrange the backstage properly.

Back to Valentine’s handkerchief, the setup was already completed so all there was left was to showcase it to the councillor Júlia Fernandes and journalists.

To accomplish the video mapping, nothing better than to use our very own Einstein VideoPlayer, which, with a few simple modifications, enabled us to project independent videos to multiple projection areas.

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The event ended with a great surprise, it was offered an original Valentine’s handkerchief and a documentary book with all the handkerchief’s history and photos. Dozens of different handkerchiefs, all of them wonderful.

It was an epic event! The involvement of all the team behind Casa do Conhecimento, the sharing, the making, the joint creation of an object with immense potential.

Here are some clips from local newspapers online Terras do Homem and O Vilar Verdense.

Centro de Interpretação de Almada Velha

CIAV . Centro de Interpretação de Almada Velha
Comissioned by Câmara Municipal de Almada

Concept
ArticaCC (Guilherme Martins, André Almeida)
RPAR (Ana Robalo, Rui Pinto)
Eric da Costa

Architecture RPAR
Ana Robalo
Rui Pinto

Development ARTICACC
André Almeida (Project Manager, Development)Guilherme Martins (Visual Design, Interactive Applications, Development)
Filipe Cruz (Software Development)
João Ribeiro (Construction)

Scenography, Furniture Design 
Eric da Costa

Graphic Design
António Lobo

Construction
Leonel & Bicho


Project full disclosure

Sega Rally Mega Hack

Sega Rally Arcade Epic Hack
Comissioned by Sapo, PT

Premiere:
Sapo Codebits VI
Pavilhão Atlântico, 15 – 17 November 2012
Also present at:
MEO XL Party
15 – 17 December 2012

Concept 
ArticaCC (Guilherme Martins, André Almeida)

Hack
Guilherme Martins (Electronics, Cars Mechanics, Arcade Mod)
André Almeida (Electronics, Arcade Mod)
Luis Sobral (The Arcade Men, Arcade master)
Maurício Martins (Leds & Chips, Electronics)
João Ribeiro (Intern)

Project full disclosure

É como diz o outro

É Como Diz o Outro é uma comédia que relata o dia-a-dia de dois amigos que trabalham juntos, frente a frente. Entre o trabalho, conversam sobre as suas vidas, aspirações, dúvidas, trocam confidências e discutem sobre temas tão complexos como uma receita de arroz de rodovalho ou a escassez da pedra mármore.
Interpretada por Bruno Nogueira e Miguel Guilherme e encenada por Tiago Guedes, esta comédia é baseada nos textos escritos e interpretados por Henrique Dias e Frederico Pombares na rubrica, com o mesmo nome, emitida no programa Cinco para a Meia-Noite, da RTP 2.

Textos: Frederico Pombares e Henrique Dias
Encenação: Tiago Guedes
Cenografia: José Pedro Penha
Vídeo e Desenho de Luz: Artica.cc (Guilherme Martins e André Almeida)

Disse a imprensa:
“Aqui ri-se e chora-se (mas chora-se de tanto se rir). (…) tendo a capacidade de se deixar levar pelo brilhante envolvimento dos actores no texto, vai com certeza chorar de tanto rir, e remexer-se na cadeira. E não se admire se a pessoa que estiver ao seu lado passar o tempo todo a perguntar: “Mas quem é que se vai lembrar de uma coisa destas?””, Tentações (Revista Sábado)

“São duas pessoas sentadas frente a frente a desfiar banalidades e teorias, aparentemente absurdas, cómicas. De um lado, há um arrumadinho, mais velho; do outro, um desleixado, algo fanfarrão. (…) Falam de sexo, lições de vida e de hipnotismo, piercings  na nádega e posar para revistas gay. Desconcertante (e não aconselhado a ouvidos sensíveis).”, DN

“A peça trata de conversas descabidas que se poderiam desenrolar (ou não) num escritório de pouco trabalho.  (…) as gargalhadas são em catadupa, não só pelo insólito do argumento, mas também arrancadas pela interpretação, hilariante até para os protagonistas. (…)”, Jornal i