Technology
Cinematrix helps BBC’s ‘Bang Goes the Theory’ put science to the test
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- Created on Friday, 30 March 2012 15:53
Cinematrix helps BBC’s ‘Bang Goes the Theory’ put science to the test
Leading the way for event participation technology in the UK, Cinematrix is set to showcase its innovative audience interaction wand on Monday’s episode of BBC 1’s ‘Bang Goes the Theory’, the TV show that aims to put science to the test.Viewers tuning into BBC 1 on 2 April at 7.30pm will see the ‘Bang Goes the Theory’ team set up an experiment using the Cinematrix audience participation device to demonstrate the power of crowds in what is known as ‘swarm behaviour’.
The programme shows individuals being handed a Cinematrix wand as they enter the auditorium. Using the power of crowd behaviour, they very quickly discover they can use it to control the colour of a corresponding square on a screen. Tapping into people’s natural instincts, the experiment showed that individuals in large groups can quickly learn to work together and coordinate their colours.
Dallas Campbell from BBC’s ‘Bang Goes the Theory’, said: “We wanted to show how individuals in large groups can collaborate naturally without the need for any instructions. We see this kind of behaviour in nature when large groups of animals seem to work together without any kind of leader such as in schools of fish or flocks of birds. Although it is not always easy to see in humans, our interactive experiment revealed that we are also hard-wired to show swarming behaviour.”
Mike Reddy at Cinematrix said: “The ‘Bang Goes the Theory’ team showed how you can create a real buzz in large groups. There was a lot of excitement as the audience members first discovered they could control an on-screen colour, and then went on to discover that they could cooperate as a team by playing an underwater themed version of Pong. The experiment was great fun for those involved and viewers of the show will see how they discovered an exciting natural aspect of human behaviour.
“The system can also be adapted for a variety of situations involving large groups. Cinematrix is highly adaptable and actively engages audiences providing an immersive and exciting experience that can be used for motivation, learning, team building or simply to have fun in a collaborative way. It also allows speakers to involve their audience in presentations and tap into the collective intelligence of crowds.
“In a world where interactivity is getting more important, Cinematrix offers a wireless tool to event organisers who want to energise their audience. The system can be used in a variety of situations and can be adapted to each event’s aims.”
The Cinematrix system is very easy to use. It requires audience members each hold up either a red or green face of a wand, which is detected by special sensors. It allows users to interact in real-time, from casting votes to playing complex group games such as flying a plane. The simple-to-use technology was developed by the same brains behind Disney Pixar and has been used with an audience of 7,000 members to interact at an event, but is scalable. Cinematrix believes the system could work with an audience as large as 100,000.
The system has been used at event locations around the world from Tokyo’s science museum to Futuroscope in France and has been used at events by some of the world’s largest organisations including Microsoft, IBM and Ernst & Young. It is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use so can be adapted for theatres, convention centres and stadiums.
