Hi, How R U ? 😎

Communicate in a new way with the Hi, How R U ? 😎 holo-capsule portal. Step inside to strike up a holographic conversation that spans continents, time zones, and languages. You can share a message for the future—of hope, wisdom, love, remembrance, or even advice or warning—and leave a holo-recording of your avatar behind as a form of a next generation time capsule. Or interact in real-time with visitors at a paired portal site in the sustainable development of the Msheireb design district in Doha, Qatar

My roll was to design and development the technical and software side of the installation. For this a TouchDesigner setup was created were the input of a Kinect sensor is manipulated into different visuals styles. The skeleton tracking data of the sensor is used to interact with the system and UI.

To ensure privacy, the users image is camouflaged during recording. Because of COVID-19, the whole system is controllable with gestures: no need to touch buttons and subsequently clean them.

The different visualisation run in realtime with a realtime recording, allowing for instant playback.

All visualisers use a data input, either audio or movement. A speech-to-text module allows for realtime typographic animations based on the actual spoken message.

The main installation is located in the SIB building of Smithsonian in Washington, DC. A sister portal is located in Qatar, Doha. When users in both locations are present, a video call is opened to allow the user to exchange a message or experiences.