Unique display technology Transparent LED Film from UGO! Media as part of EXPO 2020 in Dubai

by UGO!
in NEWS, SOLUTION
on 14. 2. 2022

UGO! Media, s.r.o. has installed its unique display technology called Transparent LED Film (TLED Film) at the prestigious world exhibition EXPO 2020 in Dubai. This technology was chosen by the University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings of the Czech Technical University in Prague (UCEEB) as the most suitable tool for the presentation of the autonomous…
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EXPO 2020 in Dubai will take place from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, following a forced pause in the exhibition industry. It is the first global exhibition held in the MENA & SA region (Middle East, Africa, and South Asia) and for the first time being hosted by an Arab country. The exhibition is unique not only in the region in which it will take place but also in its intentions, which it aims to fulfill. According to Dubai’s Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in today’s highly connected globalized world, a vision of progress and development based on shared purpose and determination is key, hence the theme of EXPO 2020 in Dubai is “Connecting Minds and Creating the Future”, with the sub-themes of “Sustainability, Mobility, and Opportunity”. It is simply about connecting minds and creating the future in an atmosphere of sustainability, mobility, and opportunity.

Let’s now introduce everything step by step and explain how this event meets the technology developed by UGO! Media, Ltd., and the system developed by UCEEB. Before we get to the actual technical description of the world’s unique TLED Film projection technology, let’s talk about how such presentations have taken place before, and also what the presentation of the S.A.W.E.R system at EXPO DUBAI 2020 will look like in practice.

In order to demonstrate systems and new technologies with an accompanying presentation area, a procedure with many technological and logistical obstacles is commonly used: a standard projection screen or, where appropriate, a projection screen is installed, which must be supplemented by a projector. In addition, the projection technology needs to be positioned appropriately in the limited exhibition space, in which the object to be exhibited also needs to be positioned This method of installing the projection technology often does not provide the exhibitor with the ideal space to present information about the exhibited object, even less so when they need to engage visitors in a catchy and interesting way. This results in the viewer being deprived of very interesting details of the presented content in its visual demonstration.

The aim of the UCEEB for the presentation at EXPO DUBAI 2020 is to present the S.A.W.E.R project to potential clients in the simplest possible way, and the visual projections are definitely one such form. But the question was how to attract attention in a different way? Nowadays, when the customer has seen almost everything at exhibitions, and when the usual advertising tricks and old-school rules no longer work, there is a need to innovate and reach for more modern and novel solutions. Each of us has already developed a certain amount of attention immunity and it is a known fact that if we capture a person’s attention during a presentation as part of communicating some content, they are willing to spend no more than 2 seconds of their real attention with us. Let’s imagine that this is our time to really attract the visitor to the exhibition and draw him into the story. We either win him or we lose him. What should we do differently if we need to present a relatively complex project to a large and ever-flowing audience of visitors in a simple way, in a way that makes the content of the presentation understandable and still evokes positive emotions and a desire to get to know the project better? UGO! Media together with UCEEB believe that this is exactly what transparent LED Film technology is now capable to provide in combination with the didactic projection wall function, where the designers of the S.A.W.E.R. system have created the ideal combination of exhibition space and TLED Film presentation technology as part of their joint vision.

So what does it all look like in practice? As always, a good portion of enthusiasm is required. It is also thanks to our excitement and willingness to try a new approach in practice that we have become part of EXPO DUBAI 2020. First of all, let’s imagine that we want – in a simple, engaging, and innovative way – to present something on a large scale like turning the dry and hot climate of the desert into a green landscape. Doesn’t that sound a bit like science fiction? We believe so, because when someone tells you:

“Imagine that S.A.W.E.R is a device that can turn a dry desert into an oasis through the targeted reproduction of microorganisms and it consists of two systems, one to extract water from the desert air and the other to cultivate the desert into fertile soil.”,

then you as a layperson will immediately start to get lost in the whole subject. The very idea of this project sounds like utopia, not to mention the idea that you will be able to simply present such a project to the non-expert public – because S.A.W.E.R. technology is the technology of the future. But it is certainly not a utopia, and ultimately the way to present it in a simple, engaging, and innovative way is not unsolvable. Let’s now explain more about how we managed to do it.

The UCEEB University Centre will install a large glass wall of approximately 7.6 × 2.5 m in total size within its exhibition space, separating the presented system from the rest of the exhibition. This glass wall consists of four ‘windows’ coated with TLED Film, and thanks to this film, the window panels will change over the course of the exhibition from a transparent glass appearance to an opaque screen on which the EXPA 2020 visitor will learn everything they need to know about the S.A.W.E.R. system itself, physically placed behind this wall.

The TLED Film is therefore completely transparent when it is switched off and, for example, content for it is being developed. At such a moment, the viewer can see the S.A.W.E.R. system itself, which is placed behind the TLED film. When the wall is switched on and its surface is functioning, it acts as a full-color opaque or partially transparent projection wall. This wall uses text, color, photos, videos, and other elements to create engaging interactive content for both the eyes and the brain. For this reason, we at UGO! Media call this projection wall the didactic LED wall. So not only visitors will marvel at the unique presentation of the TLED film covered panels, but they will also soon realize that behind them is the S.A.W.E.R system technology itself, which they can examine The didactic LED wall presentation focuses on two crucial moments for human perception: it captures the viewer’s attention by creating a “wow effect” through an unusual form of interactive projection, and it sets the stage for viewing and understanding the S.A.W.E.R. system itself… All this has to be done in a relatively short time because as we mentioned at the beginning of our story, the element of engagement in a short time is a very key element for the success of any presentation.

So how does the whole presentation system with UGO! Media didactic wall operate? The name already implies that it involves the use of LEDs. These LEDs are placed on a transparent foil and then laminated to another layer of transparent foil, which we call the TLED Film.

We obtain the so-called LED SHEET – a strip of LED foil with a maximum size of 240 × 1000 mm. The placement of the LEDs is regular throughout the foil and the LEDs on it form a matrix. The thickness of the resulting TLED Film strip is only 1.2 mm and the weight of one sheet in the maximum size is approximately 300 g. The film carrier material is highly flexible and durable. This makes the resulting transparent foil fairly flexible and can be bent and applied to curved or round surfaces. In addition, TLED Film can be transformed into any shape required by the customer – it can be cut or folded into different shapes. TLED Film can be easily installed on glass, and thanks to its construction, without any interfering frames or other gaps. This creates a clear viewing area up to 2,000 mm wide or high. A huge advantage of frameless installation is that we can place the TLED Film within large areas without seeing the frames behind the displayed content.

If the customer, as part of the flexibility, needs to expand the size of the projection area, for TLED Film it is no problem: the size and layout of the film can be easily adjusted to match the area of the desired expansion and installation. The foil can always be expanded by adding additional foils vertically or horizontally or cut parallel to the frame to suit the resulting projection area size requirements.

Each strip of LED foil contains an electronics board with control circuits that power the strip and control the display in that strip. In the same way as in the case of large-scale opaque projection screens, the UGO! Media TLED Film technology assembles individual strips together to achieve large-scale projection areas. A single image across the entire projection area is created by connecting the control boards to a master computer that controls the entire projection.

Of course, the main control computer enables the most advanced technology to control the entire projection. For this reason, its control is also possible via remote access. This is made possible by the RESOLUME ARENA software, whose functions include, for example, the possibility of periodically switching the projection on and off, including the automation of this process by means of the AUTO POWER ON/OFF function. This makes the entire system virtually autonomous. Of course, remote access allows regular checking and possible servicing by UGO! Media, which is, in addition, ensured in such a way that the progress of the projection is not interrupted. The entire presentation thus becomes virtually unattended by the client. In these days, this is an important element for a successful presentation. The client needs to not have to worry about the little things at the screening location. Our goal is, above all, a mutual experience and stimulation of the right emotions. A presentation in this way is breathtaking. There is definitely a very strong experience on the part of the observer.

The world’s unique UGO technology! Media TLED Film provides several advantages over existing presentation tools. Users are relieved of the demands for presentation areas, which are created either by an opaque projection screen or by the placement of a projector and projection screen, which are not always easy to place. The foil can be placed in shop windows or showcases, which can then be used as a combination of the projection surface and displayed physical content if required. Thanks to smart and extra remote image control, the entire system are completely autonomous. UGO! Media can always adapt it to the actual conditions and needs of the client. UGO! Media firmly believes that the transparent LED Film technology used for the didactic LED wall within the presented S.A.W.E.R. system will become a great enrichment of both the presentation of this project and the whole EXPO 2020 in Dubai.

Links: Transparent LED Film