LG

Knock

Agency:

Freelance

Role:

  • Creative Technologist

Project Type:

Experiential - Live Event

Date:

May 2018

Built With:

  • Node.js
  • Socket.io
  • JavaScript
  • HTML
  • Raspberry Pi
  • Arduino
  • I/O Sensors
  • Networking
  • MIDI
LG Knock was a live-event flashmob promotion for the LG InstaView refrigerator. The event was at the 'Oculus' - World Trade Center - and hosted a dance troupe and various large-scale production vendors that handled live staging, lighting, and sound production. As a Creative Technologist - I'd never imagined having an opportunity to turn a refrigerator into an interactive interface. My task was to retrofit a refrigerator to control a production stage lighting system and the massive LED cylinder screen. When a user knocked on the window, this interaction event would have to prompt multiple stage lights to shine on the specific refrigerator position and play a reactive video on the large tower display. My execution utilized a Raspberry Pi running a Node.js server over the local network and communicated with the six refrigerator nodes via WebSockets and MIDI signals. Each refrigerator node had a custom-fabricated module made of Arduino boards, ethernet shields, magnetic sensors, and a light sensor. The knocking interaction was a fun way to market the feature while immersing the user in the physical experience.

LG Knock Flashmob

The Interactive Refrigerator

I was tasked with converting an LG Knock refrigerator into a controller that could trigger the production stage lighing system when a user interacts with the "knock" feature

How it worked...
Sensors, Software, & Networking

Six refrigerators were wired with sensor packs to detect when users had interacted with the refrigerators. Each sensor pack comprised a micro-controller, ethernet shield, multiple magnetic breakers, and a light sensor. When "Knocked," the refrigerators sent a signal to the node server and subsequently processed and relayed a MIDI signal to the stage system, which then pointed the stage spotlight on the user and refrigerator

"Knock" Interaction Mechanic

A user's refrigerator "knock" statuses were tracked using a custom web interface

Control Room

Planning, Prototyping, & Testing

Worked closely with an event production group to make sure the sensors and server could communicate properly with the industry staging systems