TAIT: National Geographic Channel unveiled “Experience Mars”, a first-of-its-kind immersive activation, for “recruits” to experience Mars with TAIT’s cable coaster virtual reality simulator.
Between October 26th and 29th, the corner of Canal and Varick streets in New York City were bustling with space enthusiasts, virtual reality bloggers, media influencers and experience seekers vying for a spot to land on Mars. Once inside the “Mars Experience” recruits climbed aboard the cable coaster virtual reality simulator and traversed the landscape of Mars prior to officially touching down.
4 comments:
This is technology and innovation at its finest. Virtual reality technology is becoming very popular in the entertainment industry. I think the idea of infusing it with scientific research and support makes it not only cool, but a great way to raise appreciation for science. I also love that one of the head production leads was Alex Serrano, who is a CMU Drama graduate and an alumni of my high school. I got to meet with him back in Houston and it's astounding the work that Tait Stages produces, but I think this entertainment experience is new to its kind. I wonder whether this new interest in virtual reality will start playing a more long term role in entertainment experiences such as rollercoaters and amusement rides. I am worried, though, that this new field of technology will start replacing props and painting departments with more media oriented departments. I wonder the emotional and experiential difference of seeing a what feels like real screen, or actual three dimensional objects. This definitely something I am keeping my eye on at VR becomes more prevalent in our industry.
I respect this experience because it doesn’t leave every component of the world to be created by the VR. Yeah, virtual reality is an amazing new technology that has an extremely high potential for those looking to create an immersive experience. But it’s all too easy to get caught up in the novelty of a thing and forget that there are other things that are still very worthwhile to play with. However, when combined with another extremely powerful environment creating tool (the cable coaster), the two work in unison to create an effective and cohesive environment. It’s almost as if the pairing were a metaphor. But regardless, a technology is only as useful as its application. The way I see it, it’s our job to create find the applications that make the technology effective, and to then pocket that technology and application in our tool boxes to be referenced and used later.
Ohh boy, Mars, VR, and themed experiences, could this article be any more up my alley. This is VR really done right and I have a lot of hope for both the TV show and the future of this exhibit. I am seriously excited about the future of manned spaceflight and have thought a lot about ways I can help raise the publics awareness of our position in that process. I really wish that I got a chance to work on this experience but I’ll certainly be on the lookout for a chance to work with this team this summer if they are looking to continue working on things like this
This is one of those stories of the things we learn in a theater program, whether undergraduate or graduate, design or production, can be used and implemented in a wide variety of disciplines and situations outside the theater. Although I know it, articles like this make me more aware that I’m just scratching the surface of what TAIT and Navigator can do. I would have loved to seen this installation. I don’t really care about the virtual reality stuff. My interest is in the mechanics. I would bet that somebody who works for TAIT could have implemented a design for our Quad project for TD3 in an afternoon. Well – maybe not implemented, but designed. I’m also becoming quite aware of the tolerances and precision to which some of this gear is designed to accomplish. The Navigator gear that we’re using goes to the thousandth of a foot, or about an 1/8”. But I’m also understanding more of how this precision may not apply in some situations because of material choice. While the ¼” cable that we use is strong, it is also flexible and stretchy. I wonder how TAIT got around that obstacle because it seems like the stretch in a piece of aircraft cable could be enough to throw off the precision needed for the simulator. But what do I know, I’m not a rocket scientist. Oh – and I think Joe should get TAIT to bring this to Carnival in the spring.
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