The goal of the project is to transform a whole ski slope into an interactive display, where (laser) graphics are drawn in response to the skiers’ motion. Using laser projection, common in large scale audio visual shows, the graphics can be drawn from a single location onto an uneven surface in varying distance (something impossible to attain with standard projectors). Moreover, snow provides an excellent projection surface, giving high contrast imagery. Various interaction scenarios are being explored, including interaction with virtual skiers and virtual obstacles, annotation (competition scores, motion trails, speed display, etc), demarcation of safety perimeters and tracks for novices and skilled skiers, as well as real-time networked experiences (e.g. projection of skiers silhouettes from a ski slope in a different continent, etc). This is a collaborative project between the University of Lapland, the Berlin University of the Arts and the University of Tokyo, and the immediate goal is to showcase the system during the 2011 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup.
The system combines standard camera tracking and camera-projector calibration (stereo pair or single camera for tracking skiers on a slope with known topography), as well as the laser sensing-display paradigm being studied in our lab – the latter enables real-time interaction with minimum feedback delay as well as easy deployment without the need of a calibration phase. All this facilitates numerous possible interaction scenarios ranging from informative to playful (for the audience and for the skiers themselves – including scores, secure perimeters, notification of dangerous obstacles in real time), to new forms of competitions and experiences on the slopes (and eventually on all kind of playgrounds regardless of the scale and shape – such as football or tennis, playgrounds, climbing walls, ping-pong tables, or just the street).