Reactrix ads

Update on uses of the Reactrix technology for advertising:

Each installation includes an infrared camera, a computer, and a projector. As a person interacts with the projected image, the camera tracks his or her movements and feeds that information to the computer; the computer adjusts the image to make it appear to react to the person. Bell says the way in which the software processes information from the infrared camera enables the Reactrix system to operate in the dynamic environments of the real world, whereas earlier interactive projection systems could track users only against white backgrounds or in situations where the lighting conditions were tightly controlled.

Indeed, Reactrix is not the only company developing interactive displays. IBM's Everywhere Displays project makes use of mirrors and cameras to produce similar effects, while a system from Austin, TX-based artistic collective Mine-Control tracks people's shadows instead of the people themselves. But Reactrix's most direct competition may come from Toronto-based Gesturetek, which has created interactive floor displays for clients such as Coca-Cola and Krispy Kreme.

But where Gesturetek is focusing on selling or licensing its technology for a variety of applications, including gaming, virtual-reality-based rehabilitation, and museum kiosks, Reactrix aims instead to build and operate a global network of advertising installations. Linking each installation to the Internet would allow the company to upload new ads and track their usage statistics. Former Yahoo CEO Tim Koogle is a major investor in Reactrix and serves on its board of directors; he says the company would make the bulk of its money not by selling its technology, but from advertising revenue, which it would share with the venues that host its installations.

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