SAW designs an immersive AV solution for the Kaust Museum of Islam

To offer an immersive experience to visitors to this Islamic cultural heritage, Stage Audio Works has created an interactive solution in collaboration with the specialists Formula D_ and RenderHeads.

the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust) is a leading academic institution in Saudi Arabia, which takes its name from the ancient king who decreed its foundation with the intention that it would "serve the people of the Kingdom and benefit all the peoples of the world", for which he received an endowment of 20.000 millions of dollars, becoming one of the best-funded universities in the world.

With this premise, The campus was later expanded with the Museum of Science and Technology in Islam (Mosti), and thus show all the contributions made by Muslim scholars to science and technology during the first Golden Age of Islam (650-1650) and demonstrate how they laid the foundations of modern civilization.

One of the premises for this project has been the deployment of advanced interactive technology in order to guide the visiting public through the museum's exhibitions, whose management has been carried out by a specialist in technological experiences Formula D_, which has had Stage Audio Works (SAW) to specify, Supply and integrate the equipment, and with RenderHeads for bespoke software used at exhibitions.

Turnkey project

"We are very grateful to Formula D_ for hiring us for such a prestigious project," he says Nathan Ihlenfeldt, Chief Technology Officer at SAW-. In the case of MOSTI, They took the initiative with the interactive and immersive vision and we helped to materialize it from a technical point of view".

This space, whose last technological renovation was carried out in 2009, I now needed a full AV and network upgrade, as some of the equipment was analog, something not compatible with the goal of creating an interactive and immersive tour of the museum.

To do this, SAW and formula D_ collaborated to design a technologically advanced solution across the board. The video element made up the bulk of the integration, including visual displays of all shapes and sizes, as well as the installation of thirteen laser projectors of Christie, controlled by the media server Pandoras Box from this manufacturer.

This turnkey solution is based on a versatile rendering engine that makes it easy to project onto any surface, which is used for some of the museum's largest interactive exhibits, including an object theatre area, where three projectors offer a Multi-screen immersion.

Another of the main attractions of the facility is a large wardrobe with a 10 metre. "Before, The interactive element was supported by tactile sheets located behind the glass, what was technically very limiting and unsightly," Ihlenfeldt explains. Now we've replaced it with a laser scanner that picks up multiple contact points throughout the cabinet, which works much better".

About forty panels have also been installed. touch screen manufacturer's Iiyama throughout the space to provide tactile interaction for the custom-designed set designs by formula D_.

Each digital kiosk is supported by its own workstation, in particular because of the compact and powerful Lenovo P330. "We are especially proud of the design of the server racks. The previous system required 5U per exposure, but we've reduced the number of racks in the room from eleven from 40U to just four, which is a considerable improvement", Ihlenfeldt points out.

Flexible and scalable management

In addition, "Each PC requires 80W," he adds, So we've calculated that this new and improved system works with 1/8 – 1/10 of the power consumption of the previous system, which demonstrates a fully efficient integration".

Specialized in turnkey solutions, RenderHeads created all the software used for the digital kiosks with a Customized Content Management System, This has made it possible to optimize applications to work with computers, ensuring fast and responsive content.

The content management system is flexible and scalable to facilitate content changes for future museum exhibitions. SAW has installed numerous GPI connections to connect multiple physical elements in each zone, such as lighting and headphones for guided tours.

It has also installed an advanced audio system that syncs with the video. As primary directional speakers, we have opted for Genelec 4430to, along with model subwoofer 7360to for bass support.

the Smart IP technology Genelec Helps Streamline Installation with PoE Power, drastically reducing the wiring needed without decreasing quality and improving aesthetic design.

Genelec's equipment has been integrated into a network Dante AoIP so that each speaker can be configured both remotely and separately, if necessary. A pair of existing directional speakers in the museum have also been upgraded to be Dante compatible.

The entire system is managed in the cloud using the integrated audio platform, video and network control Q-SYS of QSC, with Netgear who are responsible for the distribution of the signals.

As he points out Michael Wolf, Founder & CEO of Formula D_, "We are very impressed with SAW's professionalism and collaboration on this project. We have conducted a comprehensive AV overhaul that has helped redesign the museum's approach using more interactive and impactful methods.".

Other articles on Christie, formula_D, Genelec, Iiyama, Lenovo, Museum of Science and Technology in Islam-Mosti, Netgear, QSC, RenderHeads, Stage Audio Works, King Abdullah-Kaust University of Science and Technology