Immersive Experience
After researching projection mapping and attending a Van Gogh exhibition, I became interested in how projection can completely change the feeling of a space without needing a traditional screen. The Van Gogh immersive experience especially stood out to me because the projections use the environment around people to make them feel like they are part of the experience. This made me start thinking about what could happen if a similar type of technology was brought inside a car. (Exhibition Hub & Fever, n.d.; Panasonic Connect, n.d.).
For this concept, an upward-facing projector would project different environments onto the roof of the car. Families could choose between different modes, such as nature, ocean, or space. I chose these three modes because they represent different types of experiences. Nature creates a more familiar and calming atmosphere, ocean creates a relaxing and immersive feeling, while space encourages curiosity and imagination. The projection would be focused above the passengers and away from the driver to help reduce distraction. Multiple speakers around the cabin could also create spatial audio that matches each environment, such as birds and trees in nature mode or underwater sounds in ocean mode.
The main idea is to create an experience that the whole family can enjoy together. The changing environment could encourage family members to look up, talk about what they are seeing, ask questions, or choose which environment they want to experience together. This could make the car ride itself feel like a shared experience and create more opportunities for conversation and connection between family members.
However, there are also some complications that would need to be considered. The moving projections could potentially distract the driver, and the projection may be harder to see during the daytime. The placement of the projector and speakers would also need to avoid interfering with visibility or Safety features.
Reference
CANVA: Visual suite for everyone. (n.d.-a). https://www.canva.com/
Using projection mapping technology to bring Van Gogh’s art to life. Panasonic North America - United States. (n.d.). https://connect.na.panasonic.com/ppnda/resource-center/using-projection-mapping-technology-to-bring-van-goghs-art-to-life?srsltid=AfmBOoqsH2YH1u9BIktM41cPJO9ub74mXkp8aJj6svJDggpXwxbNerks
Van Gogh Exhibition: The immersive experience. Van Gogh Exhibition: The Immersive Experience. (n.d.). https://vangoghexpo.com/#city_selector
Approximately (35%) of this work draws from the primary and secondary research I did, (50%) reflects my concept development, design decisions, and application to the family car experience, and (15%) reflects AI assistance with grammatical editing and refinement of wording. All interpretations and final design decisions remain the responsibility of the author.
