Several months ago I made a decision to return to the career That started my professional life, turning down lucrative software contracts and studying up on the latest developments in electronic componentry. I was pleasantly surprised to find that aside from speed and size, not a whole lot has changed and I was able to readapt my thinking to the latest digital electronic systems with no problems.
A chance visit with friends that I had worked with for several years opened a door for me onto a project creating the hardware and software for a large and rather beautiful architects model designed to show off the client's smart grid technologies. Last week, our model was seen by many at the MIPIM 2012 property development conference in Cannes France.
The model featured buildings illuminated by hundreds of RGB LEDs showing sequences of visual effects which illustrate how energy is generated, transferred, controlled and stored in a futurists dream town. The final client, Bouygues Immobilier, a prominent French company, actually build whole towns with these capabilities. I think it true to say that the final rendition was one of a kind at the show and I admit that even though the design was mine the job was very much a team effort from some great folks with whom I worked.
The whole project was controlled by a single Gadgeteer embedded system which read the sequence data from a USB key and played it back on all the lights. In addition to the model itself, the system communicated via http to a server that showed content on four iPads that were available to viewers and that provided further explanation of the model.
As the construction was going along I took a few photos.
The initial layout
Just some of the wiring
The Gadgeteer and Fabrizio, the chap responsible for media design.
Intermediate construction phase with the "road" test program running.
Final form, installed at MIPIM in Cannes on the Bouygues stand.
NEW
Video.
This video was intended for my six year old son who asked why I had spent so much time away and when I would be coming home. The voiceover is simplistic for that reason.
Bouygues Immobilier: Client
Sensorit: Design and development
Archi Mini: Physical design and construction
Bouygues eLab: electronic hardware construction and installation
Symetrix: Content design and iPad client/server system.
Daraize Technologies: Software and hardware design, preliminary hardware construction and prototyping.
Thanks To: Dick Lantim, Fabrizio Musolino, Guillaume Lectez, Antoine Surmont, Jeremy Powell, Charles Powell.
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