M1 Interactive
STORYTELLING IN THE DIGITAL ERA
M1 Interactive describes themselves as “a collective of designers, programmers, thinkers, and makers with a passion for engaging digital storytelling…” – We could not sum up their expertise more concisely ourselves. Based in Chicago, Il, M1 Interactive has made a name for themselves, winning contracts with major brands, designing and executing some of the most imaginative and engaging interactive experiences we have ever seen.
MultiTaction is excited that M1 has partnered with us on many projects over the past four years. MultiTaction’s touch display technology is perfectly suited for the type of projects M1 builds. Our camera-based touch technology allows for the best table and videowall touch experiences, with none of the limitations that IR frames introduce especially in table or large wall environments. Combined with our built-in object recognition (Codice Markers), our displays give M1 a larger technology pallet to play with when designing an experience than they would have with any run of the mill touch screen.
THE T-MOBILE TECH TRUCK
One project that M1 Interactive and MultiTaction partnered on was the T-Mobile Tech Truck, a mobile incarnation of the T-Mobile Tech Experience which lives in T-Mobile’s Bellevue, WA headquarters. This magenta and black Peterbilt truck turned heads everywhere it rolled and mounted in the back was a 3×3 MultiTaction touch wall and two touch tables.
The challenge of a mobile installation such as this, is that it introduces many new variables that need to be considered in the design. The truck had to be outfitted to operate in all temperatures, displays had to be mounted to a structure that could compensate for vibrations and life on the road. All computer equipment had to be redundant, and power systems had to be fortified as well, to account for varying quality of shore and generator power during operation.
Since the truck was constantly moving from one high-profile and expensive event to the next it was vital to hit deadlines and to manage the integration expertly. We feel truly fortunate to have had M1 as our partner integrating this project. They took on the challenges and made the project a success.
CAPITAL ONE
Another project M1 Interactive and MultiTaction teamed up for was the Capital One Banking Re-Imagined Road Show. This mobile experience featured ten MultiTaction screens and the experience was designed to lead participants through a personalized journey while helping them learn more about their relationship with their own money. The experience also leveraged Halolens technology for augmented reality integration in the space.
As with the T-Mobile truck, a mobile interactive experience takes a lot of planning, and precise execution. This is one aspect of M1 Interactive that impresses most. Not only are they excellent designers of digital experiences, with the ability to build all kinds of content and hardware solutions, but they also are excellent system integrators that know how to keenly manage deployments.
BIXBEE & KEHOE DESIGNS
The project featured in the main photo of this blog post is the Imagination Station Interactive Table that M1 Interactive completed for Bixbee, the well-known children’s backpack designer, and the event designer Kehoe Designs. M1 was brought in to leverage their technical expertise building such interactive environments, and they integrated MultiTaction displays utilizing our object recognition capability with Codice Markers.
Codice Markers and MultiTaction displays allowed M1 Interactive to design an experience where content could be triggered by objects, not merely by finger touch alone. By placing an object tagged with a Codice Marker on the interactive table content could be triggered relating to that physical object. Codice allows ordinary objects to be digitally activated and the technology is a natural fit for a project such as this.
STORYTELLERS
At their core, M1 Interactive is devoted to telling stories through technology. Understanding their clients’ brand strategy, or in many cases, developing that brand strategy is what drives the stories they tell.
As they put it “Our culture and the relationships we build with our clients grow and evolve as we explore new solutions and creative methods of communication through digital media.”
MultiTaction is excited to be one of M1 Interactive’s preferred platforms for getting their stories out to the world. Together we hope to activate more spaces and use our tools to drive messages people care about.